New Highly-Addictive Drug On the Rise in South Africa

November 18th, 2010

A new drug has arrived in South Africa that leaves many users addicted after their first try. In a country where two-fifths of the citizens live on less than $2 a day, this drug, called Whoonga, is rapidly wreaking havoc on South African youth.

Whoonga is a drug cocktail created from a variety of substances including HIV medications, detergent, and rat poison. Usually smoked, it is known to be one of the most addictive drugs in the world.

Users experience aggression and anxiety and can be inflicted with various pains after taking the drug.

Once hooked, Whoonga addicts normally take about six doses a day at $3 per dose — an unfathomable cost for most citizens. Some cases show South Africans purposefully infecting themselves with HIV in order to obtain free access to the medication.

The drug gained popularity only about a year ago, and its prevalence in South Africa is ever-growing. Many individuals are unaware of what they are getting into with Whoonga due to a lack of available information. Organizations such as Project Whoonga are working towards eliminating this new drug and the grave consequences to which it leads.