As part of this year’s Youth Month activities, the Department of Social Development, in partnership with the Central Drug Authority (CDA), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and Non-Governmental Organisations, will commemorate the annual Drug Awareness Week which started on the 22nd of and ends on the 26th of June.
Every South African has a role to play in creating greater awareness about the dangers of alcohol and substance abuse, which has reached unprecedented levels and the objective of the Drug Awareness Week is to educate the public, and young people in particular, about the dangers and consequences of substance abuse for a drug-free South Africa.
Once thought to only be a “township problem”, substance abuse and related crimes are now a serious national concern, with the emergence and easy availability of designer drugs such as nyaope and whoonga reaching rural areas.
Guest:Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu - Deputy Minister of Social Development