Substance Abuse Amongst High School Learners in Rural Communities

Abstract

Substance abuse amongst high school students in South Africa is of great national concern. With the change in the government and its stance on democracy, a National Strategic Action Plan (NSAP) for the prevention of substance abuse among the youth in the country was developed by the South African Alliance of Prevention of Substance Abuse (SAAPA) in 1999. The aim of the SAAPA is to encourage networking amongst all organizations, both government and civil society, concerned with substance abuse in South Africa. Unfortunately this organization has not yet started functioning in most rural communities including Botlokoa (Eisleben Village).Using a sample (N=30) of learners who abuse substances in high schools at Eisleben Village this paper aims to explore the factors contributing to substance abuse among high school learners. The incidents and effects of substance abuse will be highlighted. The paper will further highlight substance abuse and its relation to crime.