Whoonga
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Whoonga (or wonga), nyaope and sugars are South African street names for heroin.[1][2][3][4][5]
Heroin came into widespread use in South Africa in 2009[6] but the epidemic of heroin addiction has escalated since 2013[1] as prices have fallen rapidly in recent years.[1] Heroin is primarily used by unemployed young men.[4]
Usage
[edit]Heroin generates intense feelings of euphoria, deep contentment, and relaxation. It also reduces appetite. Effects may last two to four hours.[7] The drug is usually inhaled after being warmed in a glass pipe but can be also smoked with cannabis in the form of a joint,[8] and also may be injected intravenously although this is rare.[9]
Rehabs
[edit]While there are many rehabilitation centres for wealthy people struggling with addiction in South Africa there are very few facilities for the poor. Some have argued that people struggling with heroin addiction are treated as the 'undeserving poor' and subject to policing rather than medical interventions. In the populous province of KwaZulu-Natal there are only two government rehab centres accessible by poor people.[10][5]
Stigma
[edit]Heroin users are often referred to as 'amaparas' a term that researchers say is a dehumanizing and derogatory term that implies worthlessness and criminality. The term is perpetuating marginalization and discrimination, while preventing an understanding of the addiction crisis as a medical issue and addicts as people requiring social support.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Heroin use has spread as prices plummet, Jesse Copelyn, GroundUp, 9 October 2024
- ^ SA is facing a fast-escalating heroin crisis — and it’s being misunderstood, Jesse Copelyn, Daily Maverick, 17 April 2024
- ^ The work of whoonga, an epidemic on the move, Mark Hunter, The Daily Maverick, 27 July 2018
- ^ a b Heroin hustles: Drugs and the laboring poor in South Africa, Mark Hunter, Social Science & Medicine Volume 265, November 2020
- ^ a b c Time for a rational response to the heroin epidemic, Imraan Buccus, IOl, 30 October 2024
- ^ Maseko, Nomsa (18 March 2015). "South African townships' addictive drug cocktail". BBC News.
- ^ "Nyaope / Whoonga". WeDoRecover. 14 April 2024.
- ^ San-Marié Cronjé (21 December 2015). "Signs and symptoms of the use of Dagga and Nyaope". Ridge Times. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
- ^ Stephens Molobi (1 February 2017). "NYAOPE BLOOD SHOCK!". DailySun. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
- ^ Where are the government rehabs?, Mark Hunter, Business Day, 2023
Further reading
[edit]- Corrine Louw (12 April 2011). "Whoonga Battle Lost". The Sowetan. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2023.