Recovering drug addict’s smoking plea to president

EVEN though the government insists smoking poses a great threat to health during the Covid-19 pandemic, recovering drug addicts say they risk relapse.

In an open letter to the president, sent to the Independent on Saturday, a recovering addict who asked to remain anonymous has pleaded with Cyril Ramaphosa to lift the ban on cigarette sales because he said it drove him to search for his next fix on the black market, which was flooded by drug dealers.

The 34-year-old writer said he had been hooked on crack cocaine and heroin for 15 years and had been in recovery for one year.

He described the experience as the most difficult thing he had had to endure in his life, adding that he had found a new way to deal with his addiction – using cigarettes.

“Cigarettes are the one thing we struggle to let go of because of our struggle with hard street drugs. It keeps us calm,” the man said in his letter.

“Mr President, the ban has not stopped us from getting tobacco products.

“We are finding it because we are streetwise, the problem is, it takes us back to when we’re in active addiction, running the streets looking for our next fix, lying and cheating to get what we want, breaking the law.

“We now find ourselves in a position where we are going back to drug dealers to get cigarettes and risk a relapse,” the letter read.

Research psychologist Tarryn Frankish said it was difficult to measure whether the government’s ban, claiming to protect collective versus individual good, was helpful, but it did have consequences for vulnerable individuals on all sides.

Frankish said recent research had shown that more than 20% of South Africans aged 15 and over used cigarettes and other tobacco products.

She stressed that South Africa had an incredibly vulnerable population during the pandemic, given the presence of co-morbidities such as diabetes, obesity, tuberculosis and HIV, adding that continued use of tobacco products undoubtedly put individuals and communities at higher risk of developing complications from Covid-19.

“It seems the government’s choice to uphold the ban on tobacco products is in line with research that argues cigarette smoking affects both smokers and those exposed to second-hand smoke, so hospital beds, ICU specialists and other resources including ventilators are made more available when the complicated cases from smokers are lessened through these measures,” said Frankish.

She believed the ban was not without consequences, particularly for individuals who must deal with withdrawal and other consequences of restricted access to tobacco products.

“Withdrawal symptoms may include physiological symptoms like shaking and sweating or psychological symptoms like changes in mood and temper, anxiety and agitation.

“The individual may become more aggressive at a time when violence in the home is exacerbated by the lockdown conditions, financial and employment stressors and withdrawal from other substances like alcohol.”

Frankish agreed tobacco users might be driven to illegal and/or reckless behaviour to curb the symptoms they may be experiencing, which could include black market sales of tobacco at inflated rates.

“It is possible that those who use psychological or other services like religious support and/or other psychosocial interventions like Alcoholics Anonymous are no longer able to access these services under lockdown.”

People who wish to quit smoking can call the National Council Against Smoking’s quit line at 011 720 3145 or visit www.againstsmoking.co.za/.

Alternatively, they can access the Cancer Association of SA’s online quit tobacco programme at www.ekickbutt. org.za/.