SA must heed Modi’s warning on drugs

WHEN Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India urged the G20 to take decisive action against drug trafficking, he was not resorting to diplomatic theatre.

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The head of the world's largest democracy was addressing a crisis that corrodes societies, finances terrorism, and undermines economies.

Modi proposed the formation of a global antidrug group under the G20 platform to counter drug networks across the world being used to fund terrorist organisations.

For South Africa, Modi's words strike at the heart of one of the country's most pressing challenges.

South Africa's illicit drug trade is staggering in scale. Research published in the Journal of Illicit Economies and Development estimates the combined markets for cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine at $3.5 billion - or R60 billion - annually, about 1% of the national GDP. This is not a shadow economy - it is a rival to legitimate industries.