Deputy Minister for Social Development launches the South African Network of People who Use Drugs

By Department of Social Development South Africa

The Deputy Minister for Social Development Ms Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu officially launched the South African Network of People Who Use Drugs (SANPUD) in Durban Kwa-Zulu Natal Province, on the 28th October.

Established in 2017, SANPUD aims to support its members, regional networks of people who use drugs by providing them with financial, logistical, administrative and technical support.

SANPUD envisions a world where people are able to make conscious, well-informed decisions about how and when to use, or not to use, drugs. A vision where drug policies do not increase the harms to people who use drugs, restrict access to health care, or limit autonomy. In addition, the responses to people who use drugs should not bolster marginalisation, stigmatisation and economic exclusion.

The National Drug Master Plan (NDMP) is a five-year programme of action focusing on demand reduction, supply reduction and harm reduction strategies in the general population, in particular on youth and those who are high-risk and vulnerable groups. The NDMP is premised on the understanding that the scale of drug abuse and illicit trafficking in South Africa requires the mobilisation and the resolve of all key sectors of society and local communities.