The National Coordinator for the National Taskforce on Drugs and Substance Abuse in Sierra Leone, Professor Foday Sahr has revealed that the Kissy Mental Hospital recorded a rise of over 1,200% in substance abuse cases between 2020 and 2023, in particular Kush, and over 3,800% surge in Kush admissions between the same periods.
He described the periods as being a significant rise in mental health and substance abuse in the country, noting: “Sierra Leone is currently faced with a surge in mental health, owing to the abuse of drugs and other substances, center at the abuse is the use of the synthetic drug, Kush, which is ravaging our youth and communities”.
Professor Foday Sahr said in recent months, many teens and adults have sought emergency care, mental health services and other assistance due to the highly addictive drug, which is a mix of drugs including, but not limited to Cannabis, Fentanyl and Tramadol.
He said the rise in Kush and overall drug abuse prompted the President Dr. Julius Maada Bio to declare a national emergency on substance abuse in April, leading to the establishment of a National Task Force.
“Kush, a psychoactive blend of addictive substances, has been prevalent in the country for years. President Julius Maada Bio called the drug a “death trap” and said it posed an “existential crisis”. One of the drug’s many ingredients is human bones – security has been tightened in cemeteries to stop addicts digging up skeletons from graves”. Prof. Sahr stated.
Groups of mostly young men sitting on street corners with limbs swollen by Kush abuse, with a bandage around his ankle, is a common sight in Sierra Leone.
There is no official death toll, but in recent months, hundreds of young men had died from organ failure caused by Kush in the capital, Freetown.
The spike in Kush use has seen Freetown’s main cemeteries request police security to protect themselves from young men digging up skeletons – ground-up human bone is one of the many ingredients used to make Kush.
In a nationwide broadcast, President Bio said: “Our country is currently faced with an existential threat due to the ravaging impact of drugs and substance abuse, particularly the devastating synthetic drug Kush.”
He added that there had been “escalating fatalities” among Kush users.
