Methamphetamine use and associated problems among adolescents in the Western cape province of South Africa
Methamphetamine use and associated problems among adolescents in the Western cape province of South Africa
Over the past six years the Western Cape province in South Africa has emerged as one of the regions in the world with the highest levels of methamphetamine use.(1) Methamphetamine (known locally as ‘tik’) is considered as one of the most dangerous illicit drugs with numerous side effects, including psychosis, depression, and weight loss. The drug is also associated with increased sexual risk behaviour, increasing the likelihood of exposure to sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV.(2) Life-time self-reported use of the drug in the Western Cape has ranged between 2% and 12% from various surveys conducted among high school learners between 2005 and 2011, with estimates for most of the surveys between 9% and 12%.(3-6)
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