Marina Basson – Social Change, the drug Nyaope

1.INTRODUCTION
Social change differs fundamentally from individual change in that its causes and consequences are always social. Change is a continuous process present in all societies and therefore universal. Prediction in social change is uncertain because there is no inherent law of social change and the process does not remain uniform (Kishor, 2015:8-14).
Drug use echoes the social changes taking place in society and may change along with the changes that are taking place in society. People adapt in order to cope with the changes in society. However, when they cannot cope they withdraw or escape and in this case, escape through the use of the drug known Nyaope (Krejci, 2016:1).

Nyaope is a drug that first materialized in 2000 in the Pretoria townships. Due to the fact that it is made up of a brew of substances – including illegal substances such as cannabis and heroin and also includes elements of rat poison and ARV’s – it had not been classified legally as an illegal substance, and therefore created a loophole in the Drugs and Trafficking Act, essentially allowing users and dealers free access and use (Adrian, 2014).
It is presented as a white power which is smoked with cannabis and is highly addictive and destructive to the health and well-being of the users. The loop hole in the Drugs and Trafficking Act made the exploitation of its use and trade easy.

It has since been classified and it is now illegal to possess any form of Nyaope or trade in it (Adrian, 2014). The trail of destruction has however not been eradicated and neither has the trend towards the increased use of Nyaope as a drug of choice changed.
In the following assignment, I will be analysing the trend in the increased use of Nyaope and its destructive effects through the social change theory.

2.DEFINITION OF SOCIAL CHANGE AND EPIDEMIOLOGY OF DRUG USE
When sociologists refer to a variation in behaviour patterns or even cultural values and norms which are affected over time, they talk about social change – such as the increase in Nyaope use over the past few years. These changes yield social consequences – such as the destruction that is accompanied by the use of Nyaope (Cliffsnotes, 2016).

Sociologists recognise the importance of social movements in bringing about social change. One such movement was the investigation into the increased use of Nyaope and the social consequences this entailed. The social changes that were effected from the investigation can be seen in the changes made to the Drugs and Trafficking act which now renders the use of or trade in Nyaope illegal. In an attempt to understand the essence of social change, sociologists look for patterns and causes of change as well as looking at reasons for resistance to change – and propose these as theories to explain social change (Cliffsnotes, 2016). The pattern of increased Nyaope use has brought with it an increase in violent crime (Department of community safety, 2014:4). However, the roots of this behaviour are much deeper and require further investigation.

Epidemiology studies the distribution of health problems in populations as well as describes the stages of the health problem (Sloboda, 2002:2). The epidemiology of drug use has customarily focused on classifying risk factors of the individual (predisposition to addiction ), the family (dysfunctional abusive homes), the neighbourhood (Pretoria townships – the origin of Nyaope use) and society (high unemployment/poverty) as realms of influence (Compton et al., 2005:1494-1502). The Department of Community Safety (2016:8-11) attributes the increase in Nyaope use to amongst others:

• Peer pressure
• Curiosity factor
• Environmental factors
• Easy access of drugs
• Socio-economic factors such as the employment of the parents.

Many of these factors give rise to environments where the use of and trade in Nyaope are facilitated and promoted.

3. SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
Society has an effect on the people living within that society as well as on their behaviour. Human behaviour (using Nyaope) and its association to society (destruction and health dangers) as a whole, looks for links between the behaviour of the individual within the society and the structures of the society in which they live (Rebach & Bruhn, 1991:5).

The use of drugs affects more than just the person using them. According to the Department of community safety (2016:4) 60% of crimes in South Africa have substance abuse as a denominator and Nyaope users form a significant portion of these drug users. The use of the drug has also lead to perpetrators being more violent with the victims.

Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) in conjunction with social scientists, have over the last decade acknowledged the link between Nyaope use and crime, school drop- out as well as rapes and broken family relations. These underlying social ills influence the spread and use of Nyaope (Department of community safety, 2014:4).

South African is faced with many social challenges, one being the proliferation of Nyaope as a drug of choice among thousands of youth within it’s boarders.

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