NGOs say the lockdown has detrimental effects on people living with substance dependence, as they try to get their fix amid heavy restriction of movement.
, said the physical effects of prohibition on substance-dependent people could be shocking.
Shelly said as some alcohol-dependent people may seek to make their own alcohol, or seek alcohol in other products, in an act of desperation.“When we saw alcohol prohibition in the United States [in the 1920s] we saw a burgeoning criminal economy because of the great margins that are to be made. You’d see the same here in South Africa if the lockdown went on long enough.
There were fears that many drug-dependent people may not have been able to access these facilities because of the lockdown. But Shelly says most metros in the country are continuing with opioid-substitution plans. “Many [substance-dependent] people are already vulnerable; they’re probably the most marginalised people in society. And, in a time like this, they will suffer. A lot of people are homeless and they are moved into places where we’re not often sure where they are. A lot of shelters won’t allow access to injecting equipment,” Shelly said.
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