The policy & practice of drug, alcohol & tobacco use during Covid-19

Science Forum South Africa (SFSA); Soodyall, Himla; Gilligan, Aidan; Shelly, Shaun; Venter, Francois; Letlape, Kgosi; Kinderlerer, Julian; Pedersen, David Budtz

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Abstract (English) : This discussion formed part of the Science Forum South Africa (SFSA) 2020 event. The World Science Forum will be held in Cape Town in December 2021 under the theme of “science for social justice”. As a precedent, this documentary examines the ethics of intervening in the lives of others under the lens of South Africa’s go-it-alone ban on tobacco and alcohol sales to tackle COVID-19. Leading medical, policy and civil society experts from at home and abroad weigh up the scientific evidence for and against. Taxation, jobs, sectoral interests, religious indoctrination, values and civil liberties all come into play. Further issues debated include concepts of recent history and subjugation versus today’s democracy and the rule of law. Have fundamental principles of autonomy, human dignity, freedom and equality been forced to give way? Is the medical profession’s “unconscionable collusion” acceptable? How must lawmakers navigate between the rights and responsibilities of individuals to look after themselves and the rights and responsibilities of States to look after their citizens? Above all, as this pandemic collides with the known syndemics of TB, malaria, HIV/Aids, hepatitis etc., the panel argues for the urgent acceptance and application of harm reduction science worldwide, if lives really do matter.

Description : 1 MP4 video; Size: 524MB; Duration: 01:12:36

Contributor ORCIDs : Soodyall, Himla