Nyaope narrative distracts from ‘ballooning’ heroin crisis

John Perlman speaks to Jesse Copelyn, Freelance journalist.

Listen to the interview in the audio below.

Use of heroin has been increasing exponentially in recent years.

In 2015, around 110,000 people were using the drug daily, which went up to between 215,000 and 425,000 in 2020.

ALSO READ:

'450 000 people in South Africa use heroin EVERY DAY'

'This drug destroyed my life': The nyaope users of Ermelo count the costs of chasing a hopeless high

Researchers suggest that the severity of the problem is being obscured because of the narratives around ‘nyaope,’ which is mostly just high-grade heroin.

The name nyaope makes it sound like an entirely separate substance, so people do not see the depths of the crisis.

“This has distracted us from the fact that we have a serious, ballooning crisis.”

- Jesse Copelyn, Freelance journalist

This is made worse by the fact that nyaope is occasionally mixed with other substances making it seem like something else.

However, these other substances are usually ‘bulking agents’ which allow dealers to sell higher volumes, rather than ingredients for an entirely new drug.

Copelyn says that there is plenty of academic research on this topic, but very little said in the media or in public spaces.

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.