DA declares war on tik

2005-07-25 19:03

Cape Town - The Democratic Alliance on Monday announced it had "declared war" on tik, the highly addictive methamphetamine drug.

Speaking in Bonteheuwel, DA leader Tony Leon said his party had developed a five-point plan to rid communities of the drug.

On the Cape Flats, tik was responsible for some of the fastest addiction rates ever seen among youngsters, replacing Mandrax as the drug of choice.

It could be smoked, injected, snorted, or eaten. Those who smoke tik usually heat the crystals inside a light bulb and inhale the dense odourless smoke.

Leon said tik use had "spread like a wildfire through our schools, our neighbourhoods and our homes".

'Tik can be made in any kitchen'

A first step in countering it would be to reclassify pseudoephedrine - the active ingredient in the manufacture of tik - as a Schedule 5 drug.

"Currently tik can be made in any kitchen, using over-the-counter medicines that contain pseudoephedrine.

"Reclassifying the drug, which can be replaced with phenyleprine in most products, will make manufacturing tik much more difficult."

Further steps included more home-based rehabilitation and care centres for abusers, increased funding to South Africa's Central Drug Authority (CDA), a strengthening of law enforcement agencies and plans to increase community awareness of the tik problem.

Drug awareness

Leon said: "This year, the government only gave the CDA R400 000 to run a nationwide campaign against drug abuse.

"This amount is totally inadequate and needs to be tripled, at the very least, in next year's budget if we are to raise drug awareness in our communities."

According to one study carried out last year in and around Cape Town, 91% of teenage users of tik were male and coloured, with an average age of 16.

Some of the long-term effects of methamphetamine use included violent and aggressive behaviour, heart problems and psychological problems.

- SAPA