What is Kush, the new drug in West Africa?
Have you heard of kush, a new drug that is popular in West Africa? This drug is making many victims, especially in Sierra Leone. Kush is smoked and provides a feeling of numbness. This is not about kush, the weed strain. In this blog we explain what this drug consists of and what the consequences are.
What is Kush?
In 2016, the first reports came in about a new drug called kush in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. As mentioned, this is very different from cannabis, and it is also not the same drug that is widely used in the US, which is also called kush. That kush is a mixture of different chemicals that is smoked. The kush in Sierra Leone is quite different.
This kush is a mix of cannabis, fentanyl, tramadol and formaldehyde. And it is also said to contain ground-up human bones. Kush is a cheap drug and is said to be the most widely used drug in the country. It is light or dark green, brown or reddish in colour. It is often mixed with tobacco and smoked. People use it because it helps them with stress and because it numbs feelings. In West African countries, it is mostly men between the ages of 18 and 25 who use it. Kush is a very popular drug because it is so cheap. But the consequences are terrible.
The effects of kush
When people use kush, the effects can vary. These are partly determined by the user themselves and what is processed in the drug. Cannabis can have different effects, ranging from euphoria, relaxation and a narcotic high. Fentanyl is a powerful opioid and is emerging in Western countries as a designerdrug. The substance can also cause euphoria, but also confusion and drowsiness and has many other side effects.
Tramadol is also an opioid, but has somewhat less powerful effects. Users become drowsy and feel stoned, they experience a feeling as if they are detached from reality. How do people who have used kush react? After a few hits, the user is stoned and often can't even stand up straight.
The risk of kush is twofold. First, there is the danger that someone who uses kush will literally get hurt. People can fall asleep while walking down the street. They can fall, bump their head and even walk onto a busy road where they can be hit by a car. Furthermore, kush is also very addictive. And that creates the second risk: to get another dose, money is needed. To get that money, people get caught up in crime or prostitution.
Keeping up is very difficult. Most people have neither the means nor the money for it. Families take their loved ones to psychiatric hospitals in the hope that they can get help there. These are now full of young men trying to kick their addiction.
How is kush made?
It is not entirely clear whether the various ingredients in kush can all be obtained in Sierra Leone. Cannabis is widely grown in the country, but the fentanyl probably originates from clandestine laboratories in China. The same goes for tramadol, which is produced in illegal laboratories in Asia.
And are there really human bones in the drug? Not much is known about that. Some claim that grave robbers supply the human bones, but no evidence has yet been found for this. The question is also why bones would be processed in kush. The reason could be that there is sulphur in bones that can cause a high when inhaled. But it could also be that the bones still contain traces of fentanyl or tramadol, if the deceased used them.
Polydrugs
Kush is a new mix of different types of drugs, a so-called polydrug. It is not the only polydrug that is popular in Africa. Nyaope, a drug that basically consists of tobacco and weed, is also popular. Heroin and an antiretroviral drug to treat AIDS are then added to this. The latter can also have mind-altering properties.
The ingredients of such drugs are continuously adjusted based on demand and availability.Most drugs are cheap and help people forget their difficult circumstances. However, the consequences are devastating. There are no official figures on the number of victims of kush, for example. But the authorities in Sierra Leone see the impact it has on society. The estimates are that the number of deaths is now significant.
There is also the fear that the high use will have consequences for society itself. Young men can no longer work, do not follow an education and have no future. Crime is increasing and all this can disrupt society. Getting the drug under control is difficult, because of the limited resources. There is also too little professional help for people who want to kick the habit.
The crisis is at least being faced by the government. The president of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio, declared a state of emergency in April because of the high drug abuse, especially of kush. "Our country is threatened in its existence," he said. "And that is largely due to the devastating impact of drugs and drug addiction." It is hoped that the countries in West Africa will get a grip on this epidemic of dangerous drugs.
