ActionSA observes International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking
26 June 2024
Today, ActionSA observes the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking, raising awareness about the destructive scourge of substance abuse that continues to plague every community throughout South Africa, while further committing to using our representation in Parliament to pursue meaningful action to strengthen efforts to end this epidemic.
As we mark this day, ActionSA wishes to honour the lives lost to this scourge, particularly those who sought help but were unable to find it in a system that is simply incapacitated to deal with this crisis. More than anything, today is an opportunity to renew our commitment to target and fight against the drug dealers and traffickers, not their victims.
ActionSA recognises addiction as a healthcare issue and people who suffer from addiction as victims of the illicit narcotics trade and therefore is committed to providing medical support and increased access to rehabilitation treatment to people suffering from substance abuse addiction.
Key to the fight to end this scourge is the absolute demand to dismantle narcotics syndicates by ensuring that international and domestic syndicates, as well as individuals found guilty of engaging in the narcotics trade, are criminally prosecuted, tightening control over South Africa’s borders and mobilising specialised law enforcement units to dismantle drug operations.
Through our representation in the 7th Parliament, ActionSA commits to combat substance abuse through legislative and executive oversight mechanisms, advocating for:
Treating substance abuse as a medical condition with a focus on harm reduction.
Providing people suffering from addiction with access to treatment and rehabilitation facilities.
Introducing harsher criminal punishments for the manufacturing, distribution, and sale of narcotics.
Strengthening South Africa’s borders to inhibit the transnational trade of narcotics (drug smuggling).
Forming a specialised and intelligence-driven law enforcement unit tasked with combating the drug trade and dismantling narcotics syndicates.
Ensuring the independence of the Central Drug Authority (CDA) and increasing funding for the CDA to prioritise conducting a prevalence survey to understand the scale of the crisis and align resources accordingly.
In light of the urgency of this crisis, which continues to tear apart families and destroy countless lives, ActionSA is calling for the enforcement of the National Drug Master Plan to achieve a South Africa free from drug abuse and misuse.
Issued by Dereleen James, Member of Parliament, ActionSA, 26 June 2024
