In what has got to be an all-time low for human nature, people in the township of Umlazi in KwaZulu Natal have to live in fear of being robbed of their anti-retroviral drugs.

According to a BBC report, gangs in the settlement are going around mugging people for their drugs, which they then use to lace joints, apparently to increase the high you get, although there’s no real evidence to support this.

The drug they called “Whoonga” is allegedly the street name for efavirenz, also known as Stocrin, one of the most popular antiretroviral drugs. The drug is much cheaper than most others on the street, at about R20 a pop.

According to the BBC article, doctors claim that smoking the drug poses severe health risks, including internal bleeding, stomach ulcers and in some cases death.

[Source : BBC, Neuroskeptic]