Drugs: Only black and coloured youths?

I’ve never really understood why drugs are prevalent only among black and coloured youths in the townships.

Always when I read stories about drugs and the youth, they are about black and coloured youths in the townships. Are there no white youths who are involved in drugs in white residential areas?

My feeling is that this is something that is perpetuated by people who want to destroy black and coloured youths. This makes black and coloured young people unacceptable as normal children in the new South Africa.

I am 45 years of age and I’ve never heard, read and even seen so many newspaper articles written about drugs and how they affect young people in the townships. And sadly, the majority of people who live in the townships are blacks and coloureds and this drug stigma against them is simply designed to discredit them as normal people – because they are seen as tending to be drug addicts and alcoholics.

I agree that drugs are bad and unacceptable in any normal society and therefore need to be exposed and the habit discouraged among youths from all sectors of society. But the fact that the focus on drugs and young people seems to be only on black and coloured youths makes the whole fight against drugs in the townships questionable.

The reason I am saying this is because, despite all the efforts that the police and government officials claim to be putting behind the fight against drugs, more and more young black and coloured youths are being affected.

Dorothy Jacobs

Eden Park

ALBERTON

The impact of drugs and alcohol affects every young person regardless of race or colour. Editor

+++++++++++++++++