Stranger Than Fiction

I had been hearing rumors about this story for the past few weeks, but it was only over the weekend that I saw the first written confirmations in the mainstream media. As a disclaimer, my source at St. Mary's Hospital on the outskirts of Druban tells me that this problem is not as widespread as these articles might have you believe.

And now - without further contextualization - a distinctly South African story of crime and drug use (from AFP.com):

S.African criminals steal anti-AIDS drugs to smoke with marijuana

Wed May 16, 3:29 PM ET

South African criminals are rumoured to be robbing AIDS patients of lifesaving anti-retroviral (ARV) medicines to smoke with marijuana for a better high, a local hospital said Wednesday.

St Mary's hospital in Durban in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province said patients and staff have reported ARV's being stolen for this purpose.

"The community outreach co-ordinator of our ARV programme did confirm ... that on average twice a month she receives reports from patients that their anti-retrovirals have been stolen, either at knifepoint or snatched from their hands," hospital chief executive Dr Douglas Ross said in a statement.

AIDS lobby group, the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), has warned against smoking Stocrin, part of a triple therapy cocktail given to patients, and reported to be the drug being being abused.

Stocrin was a "very toxic drug", TAC spokeswoman Lerato Maloka told AFP.

"Stocrin affects the central nervous system, it is recommended that people who have depression or psychotic illness shouldn't take Stocrin as it will make the condition worse," she said.

People using the drug could experience side effects like dizziness, nightmares and hallucination.

"People of all ages are stealing it (Stocrin) from patients and smoking it together with dagga," The Saturday Star quoted community worker Nancy Sias as saying.

"They say it gives them a better high than Mandrax and it makes them feel dizzy, weird and have wonderful dreams."

Ross said the hospital was encouraging patients to conceal their medicines in public to minimize the risk of theft.

"We have replaced the medication of those whose medication was apparently stolen."


For more coverage, here is a link to an article in this week's Mail and Guardian:
Thugs smoking antiretrovirals 'with dagga'