The ManicaPost
EDITOR — The media has been awash with stories highlighting how drug abuse is tearing our society. Although not a fresh revelation, stories gave a graphic account of how young people are slowly losing lives to illegal consumables. They brought to the fore an inconvenient truth many are not brave enough to acknowledge Zimbabwe has a drug problem.
The drug rot, just like corruption is a threat to the nation’s present and future. Although the police have a special department that deals with drugs, the situation may need a more direct approach.
In the same manner that the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) exists within the same space as Zimbabwe Republic Police who also have internal mechanisms to deal with corruption, the fight against drugs needs a standalone institution.
The media reports show that there are new drugs and dangerous drug types on the streets. Among those is nyaope, a cocktail of substances which we cannot mention for fear of inspiring a recipe. Cocaine, which in previous years was a substance people knew through television screens, is now a reality in Zimbabwe. Although there are no better drugs, evidence from countries where the above intoxicants are rife shows the imminent danger their presence in society brings.
A 2016 academic research by Andre Ohagan and Amber Poxon in the United Kingdom showed a direct relationship between violent crimes like robberies and cocaine. This is due to its highly addictive nature and expense. Using such scientific evidence for context, the same headaches could be part of our national conversation if no deliberate action is taken to nip the crawling
Nyaope is no different as it brings with it a significant increase in crime. Kebogile Mokoena, a South African researcher on drugs and their impact in society said the drug brings with it a social nightmare.
“Nyaope is reported to be very addictive and addicts encounter extreme difficulty when attempting to cease using it,” the study reads. If people are left to get hooked on nyaope, it means the social services will have to carry the burden likely to emerge in a few years to come.”
Issues like diseases, disjointed families and even deaths, have been recorded as the most common results of incessant drug use, especially of nyaope. South African neighbourhoods like Khayelitsha should serve as case studies for Zimbabwe on what nyaope can do. Some may argue that setting up an independent unit to deal with drug abuse is costly, but once illicit substances are in circulation there is no escaping the financial implication. It can only either be proactive or reactive. Zimbabwe needs strong institutions going forward and as society evolves there is need for the country`s regulatory system to be in sync with changes.
With respect to institutions already handling drug issues, more needs to be done. People read news of drug busts here and there but the numbers of those that slide under the radar outweighs those that are brought to book.
High density suburbs have what are known as “jazzmen.” One would imagine they are not criminals judging from how easy they are to find, it is like they sell something legally permissible.
Stories have been told about how some dealers because of their sustained liquid nature have created unsanitary rapport with law enforcement. There is need for a legislative shift in the manner and an independent unit can be useful in that regard. Zimbabwe needs a strategic anti-drug campaign which is expertly crafted. If possible, there should be a budgetary provision to back the idea. If such an action is not taken, together with an establishment of an anti-drug unit in the mould of ZACC, the country will have bigger social problems in a few years to come.
Our judiciary also needs to be capacitated through training on how to prosecute drug issues, going beyond the mere act of personalising possession of illegal substances, but taking into account the possible social impact. In the United States there is the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNDD) and Centre for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), both government agencies meant to fight drugs directly.
Zimbabwe needs to look at precedent set by other countries and establish similar organisations which may reduce the worrisome drug cases being seen and reported.
For those who have already been gripped by the vices, there is need for rehabilitation facilities that can cleanse them.
They also need to be helped to ensure they can reintegrate into society with minimal chances of relapse. As those battling drugs are being helped, there is need to ensure we do not lose more of our youths to the regrettable scourge.
A well-funded anti-drug unit could be a good place to start. Its operations will obviously be engineered to create harmony with existing entities but its existence is in a way a matter of urgency.
Leroy Dzenga
