The decision to ban the sale of alcohol and tobacco during the national lockdown should be reversed.
So says the SA Drug Policy Initiative, explaining that the lockdown restrictions discriminate against the poor, put the health of the mentally ill at risk, and give crime syndicates and gangs an income.
The group said on Tuesday that those who have drug-use disorders are now having to break the law by acquiring them from illegal sources.
“First, this ad hoc law fails to adequately consider the harms that its enforcement will do to the many vulnerable individuals who suffer from substance use disorders.
“Especially in the case of alcohol, many of those with substance use disorders cannot simply stop using drugs. If they do, they risk developing a range of symptoms including, psychosis, seizures and ultimately death.
“Substance use disorder is a medical condition that often affects people with mental illness or underlying psychosocial problems, but can be managed and treated by healthcare specialists with drugs, psychiatric care and other supportive measures.
“Therefore, someone who is addicted to say, heroin, but can get by with alcohol, cannabis or tobacco, will not be able to cope unless they break the law and buy those drugs on the black market.
“This leads to the second reason why the banning of alcohol and tobacco is a bad move: Those who have problematic drug use disorders are now having to break the law by acquiring them from illegal sources.
“This demand invites criminal elements to meet this need by increasing the supply of contraband alcohol and tobacco.
“The lockdown is just one of many measures that has been instituted to deal with what is a public health issue. Before being implemented, all proposed public health measures should be preceded by both risk versus benefit and cost versus benefit.
“It appears that if, in this instance, these analyses were carried out, the potential harms were not considered or not given sufficient weight.”