PROJECT: SOUTH AFRICA'S YOUTH AND THEIR ESCALATING DRUG USE
- Isabel Spies
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
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In South Africa, there is growing evidence that children and adolescents are experimenting with substances
For example:
Research shows that the average age of drug dependence in some cases is 12 years in SA.
The South African Social Research Council (via the national plan of action) noted that substance abuse among young people is a “serious health and social problem” and that high-risk behaviour is a major concern.
It is important to note that the misuse of ketamine and its consequences are increasingly being discussed internationally, particularly among youth.
In South Africa specifically, the South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP) has issued warnings about the recreational/unsupervised use of ketamine, particularly outside clinical settings.
What this implies is that the school-aged population is increasingly exposed to substances that have both health
and crime-related consequences (trafficking, dealing, risk behaviours), and the window of vulnerability
(age, peer pressure, socio-economic context) is shifting to lower age groups.
THE IMPACT OF KETAMINE ON CHILDREN:
Children and teenagers increasingly use ketamine because it is often falsely perceived as a “party drug” that enhances social experiences, reduces anxiety, and provides a sense of detachment or euphoria — making it attractive to young users seeking escape from emotional pain, trauma, or social pressure.
However, ketamine’s dissociative effects disrupt brain development, memory formation, and emotional regulation, which are still maturing during adolescence.
Prolonged use can cause cognitive impairment, learning difficulties, emotional instability, and even irreversible bladder and kidney damage.
From a crime prevention perspective, this growing trend exposes youth to criminal networks involved in drug trafficking and increases their vulnerability to exploitation, dependency, and long-term social dysfunction — a direct threat to both personal safety and community stability.
WHY THIS MATTERS FOR CRIME PREVENTION:
Substance misuse is often a driver and a consequence of criminal behaviour.
It can lead to property crime, interpersonal violence, substance-related offences (possession/dealing) and increased vulnerability of youth to exploitation (e.g., becoming couriers or dealers).
If schoolchildren are experimenting with powerful drugs like ketamine, the risk environment for them increases dramatically: impaired judgment, risk-taking (including sexual assault, date rape, drunk driving), and being drawn into crime networks.
The earlier the age of initiation, the greater the probability of escalation into more serious substance dependency and crime involvement.
Early interventions become more critical.
Teenagers at matric farewells/during the matric holidays or any other high-risk contexts (celebration, partying, less supervision) that partake in drug use, or fall for peer pressure, are more at risk and more likely to fall victim to some form of crime.
SOUTH AFRICAN SPECIFIC GAPS, VULNERABILITIES AND SYSTEMIC ISSUES:
Focusing on South Africa, we see a number of systemic and contextual factors that heighten the risk of the scenario described above.
KEY VULNERABILITIES:
Many learners come from socio‐economically disadvantaged backgrounds, in which risk factors such as trauma, abuse, neglect, and exposure to violence are present.
A study at the University of Cape Town found that childhood maltreatment significantly increased the risk of problematic substance use among adolescents in South Africa.
School and community prevention programmes exist (for example, the “Ke Moja” campaign for younger learners), but these are under-resourced and often reactive rather than proactive.
There is a treatment gap: for learners using substances, there may be limited access to age-appropriate intervention, and social stigma may limit early help-seeking.
The adolescent recovery and rehabilitation infrastructure exists (e.g., teen-specific programmes) but may be inaccessible to many.
On the supply side, drugs like ketamine may be more accessible than generally assumed.
Even though the exact scale for schoolchildren in South Africa is less documented publicly, the global trends (teens using ketamine, in unsupervised contexts) raise an alarm that similar patterns could be emerging locally.
For example, international reporting shows children as young as 11 or 12 involved in ketamine use.
SYSTEMIC ISSUES IN CRIME PREVENTION AND ENFORCEMENT:
The interface between substance use and crime often involves policing, schools, health, and social services.
However, when youth are involved, simply applying enforcement (e.g., arrests) without integrated prevention, education, and health response is insufficient.
Crime-prevention implication: if learners use substances, they may also be more vulnerable to being victims of crime (e.g., exploitation, assault) or perpetrators of crime (e.g., petty crime, dealing).
The school/teen context is especially sensitive during holidays, matric/farewell events, when supervision drops, and the risk of substance use and associated crime rises.
There is often low awareness among parents, educators and learners about the specific risks of newer/harder drugs (e.g., ketamine) compared to more familiar substances like alcohol, dagga or tik.
This means risk-reduction messaging may not cover emerging substances in the youth sphere.
Being aware of the increasing misuse of ketamine among very young children and teenagers,
SSS will present several recommendations for preventive measures in the following project.
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