The history of drugs in southern Africa shows how pharmaceutical and illegal substances are intertwined. Understanding the history matters because a society inherits ideas about what is “normal” and what is morally right or wrong. This shapes the approach to care for people with drug addiction, for example. Policy makers need to base their decisions on empirical information, not prejudice, fear and blame.
In today’s episode of Pasha, Thembisa Waetjen, an Associate Professor of History at the University of Johannesburg, discusses the history of drug substances like opium and cannabis in southern Africa.
Read more: The highs and lows of the opium trade in southern Africa
Read more: Secret histories of drugs -- legal and illegal -- in southern Africa
Photo: “Map with drugs” By smart.art Shutterstock
Music “Happy African Village” by John Bartmann, found on FreeMusicArchive.org licensed under CC0 1.
“Chill And Grill” by John Bartmann, found on FreeMusicArchive.org licensed under Attribution-non commercial License.
Sounds “Gauteng premier on Cannabis” by SABC found on YouTube.