By Politico Staff Writer
Youth and Child Advocacy Network (YACAN) has called for stronger action by the Government to tackle drug Abuse especially “Kush” in Sierra Leone and to implement the Tobacco and Nicotine Control Act, 2022 to save 100,000 (one hundred thousand) Youths in all urban councils in the country.
A position paper written by the Network on the 2nd April 2024, highlighted the growing issues Sierra Leone continues to face with the consumption of kush among its youth population. It expressed concern about the proliferation of kush in urban areas, coupled with limited awareness about its harmful effects which have contributed to its wide intake among adolescents, youths, and adults.
“Research indicates that prolonged use of kush can lead to cognitive impairment, mental health disorders, and decreased productivity. Furthermore, the lack of stringent regulatory measures allows for the unchecked distribution and sale of kush, exacerbating the problem,” part of the paper reads.
YACAN recalled between 2020 and 2022 young people in Sierra Leone were introduced to a special chemical mix from local labs, sold locally for a much cheaper cost, “with a high intoxicating reaction that puts its victims into instances of daze/sleep and highly addictive.”
It noted that the chemical or substance is sometimes mixed with cannabis, cigarette, or consumed directly by its victims. It observed that by the end of 2022, the substance was not only consumed by adults but also by youths, women, and adolescents, while the number of peddlers selling the substance increased, enhancing its availability in nearly all cities and towns in Sierra Leone.
It stated that by 2023, the number of users of the “dangerous ‘kush’ drug and its victims became very visible, with symptoms and signs that are very clear and identical among its users, and by December 2023, the national psychiatric hospital in kissy reported that it experienced a surge in patients of drug-related abuse.”
The hospital recorded 2,955 (two thousand, nine hundred and fifty-five) patients admitted, over 1,865 (one thousand, eight hundred and sixty-five) being cases directly related to substance abuse (kush) just for Freetown.
The Network pointed out that between 2023 and 2024; over 25 videos with disturbing images were making rounds on social media of either young people taking the kush substance, or of sick victims suffering from its negative reaction on their bodies. It stated that in some cases, children as young as 9 years were seen taking kush or fighting for it in districts like Kono and Freetown.
“The kush situation between January to March 2024 got out of control’’, according to YACAN to the extent that bodies were found in different parts of the country. In March 2024, the Freetown City Council announced that the remains of 32 destitute had been identified, that showed signs associated with kush victims, who were then buried in a mass grave in Freetown.
It also recalled that in a bid to address the toll of the drug on youths, communities across Sierra Leone took the law into their hands to identify and forcefully beat, shave, and wash young men and women, whom they suspected of being addicts of the kush drug.
Between January to March 2024, YACAN, as an organization, closely observed in three communities in Freetown and through social media stories, was able to understand how the issue of kush and substance abuse is affecting young people and children, especially in slum communities.
“We noticed that there are now other social issues that are caused by ‘kush’, such as orphans in communities, with over 30 orphaned children identified in just two communities, stigmatization of victims, over 250 young people now have psychological problems because of kush usage, and stigmatization from community members in the three communities,” it notes.
It also observed an increase in household poverty and economic hardship experienced by families of kush victims, as some of these users were contributing economically towards their family before starting to use the drug, but now could not contribute anything.
YACAN found out that the Ministry of Health has continued to underrate the Kush situation and has not provided adequate data, nor do they make pronouncements on any intention to study the current patients of ‘kush’ to know how this harmful substance affects their health. It observed how communities taking the law into their hands, embark on violence against kush victims, with no statement from the security institutions condemning them, as such acts could cause more insecurity for citizens who are victims and those who are not.
YACAN ended by calling on the government to work with like-minded organizations to develop programmes that will address social mobilization and strengthen awareness against the kush drug.
Copyright (c) Politico Online (05/04/24)
