Kush is spreading across the Mano River Basin in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, ensnaring young minds in its grip. Only a united front by these countries’ governments can stop this transnational drug crisis from destroying the region’s fragile stability.
The deadly synthetic cannabis originates in Sierra Leone, and is manufactured and distributed by criminal gangs in the region. It contains chemicals and plants that mimic the natural cannabinoid THC in cannabis, says Hassan Fadiga, the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency’s Deputy Director General for Operations. It is mixed with additives including acetone, the opioids tramadol and fentanyl, paint, disinfectants and formaldehyde, a toxic chemical used to preserve bodies in mortuaries. Some reports say Kush includes ground human bones.
Dr Valerie Coker of Sierra Leone’s Princess Christian Maternity Hospital, who treats pregnant women addicted to Kush, says the drug has a THC content significantly higher than organic cannabis. It provides a powerful psychoactive effect that quickly leads to addiction. Abraham Kromah, former head of Liberia’s Drug Enforcement Agency, says the formaldehyde and sulphur in the ground human bones enhance its potency.
A single joint of Kush costs around US$0.25 (Le5) and is typically shared by two or three people, says Aiah Nabieu Mokuwah, Executive Director of Sierra Leone’s Institute for Drug Control and Human Security. Dozens of joints may be smoked daily, highlighting the substance’s addictive nature and high cost in a country where the average monthly salary is under US$100.
Kush is predominantly used by young adults and causes disorientation that can lead to users falling asleep on their feet, stumbling and falling, or walking into moving traffic. It delivers a long-lasting, hypnotic euphoria, in which users lose touch with reality for hours at a time. ‘They breathe in the fumes, savouring the burn, and wait for the blissful oblivion to arrive,’ says Kromah.
He says the drug is produced locally, after its various ingredients have been sourced from across the region and beyond. Fentanyl is manufactured in clandestine laboratories in China and shipped to West Africa. Formaldehyde is smuggled into Liberia by traffickers from Sierra Leone and Nigeria or is illegally sourced from local hospitals.
The Kush trade is fuelled by a sophisticated transnational criminal trafficking network, says Pele Gandy-Williams, Sierra Leone’s Financial Crimes Working Group Chairman. Kromah says it is smuggled across porous borders in all directions, primarily by Nigerian and Sierra Leonean criminal networks, sometimes on small fishing boats operated by Ghanaians.
Coker says the introduction of Kush coincides with an already concerning increase in drug use among youngsters. Similar trends have been reported in Liberia and Guinea, painting a grim picture of Kush’s widespread prevalence and consequences. Kromah says over 1.5 million young people in Liberia are addicted to Kush. Fadiga says families are under siege as addiction infiltrates households, straining relationships and community dynamics.
The drug is making Liberia a ‘society of zombies,’ says Lawrence Yealue, Country Director of Liberia’s Accountability Lab, a non-profit advocacy organisation. He says health systems across the Mano River Basin face increased demand for treatment of drug-related issues. Drug abuse and trafficking are also leading to heightened crime rates, decreased productivity and strained social services.
The Kush trade threatens to undermine peace and development in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. Following brutal conflicts in the late 1990s that caused over 200 000 deaths and widespread devastation, these nations are still grappling with severe humanitarian crises that have profoundly impacted their social and economic structures.
The roots of the crisis run deep, entwined with regional social and economic realities. Alfred Mansaray, Deputy Director of Sierra Leone’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, says youth unemployment, particularly in urban areas, creates fertile ground for the escape offered by drugs. ‘Kush becomes a readily available coping mechanism for the anxieties and frustrations of poverty, lack of opportunity, and limited life prospects,’ he says.
Weak education systems and inadequate access to mental health services exacerbate young people’s vulnerabilities.
Dealing with Kush is ‘a learning curve for all of us,’ says Mokuwah, and countries in the Basin have initiated various interventions. Both Sierra Leone and Liberia have declared substance abuse public health emergencies as a result of the increase in Kush use. Law enforcement agencies have intensified crackdowns on trafficking networks, with recent joint operations demonstrating regional commitment and collaboration.
However, acknowledging the limitations of solely punitive measures, governments in the Basin have started awareness campaigns targeting youth. Sierra Leone’s anti-Kush campaign and Liberia’s Say No to Kush initiative educate youth about the dangers of the drug and offer alternative pathways through skills training and employment.
Brima Touray, an inspector with the Sierra Leone Police, says: ‘Collective action across the Basin is needed to address the crisis.’ Gibril Ceesay from Guinea’s INTERPOL National Central Bureau says Guinea is consulting with its neighbours, since the government does not know enough about the drug. A source told ENACT that the government was setting up a task force to address the crisis.
Mansaray believes the battle against Kush is not just about curbing drug use. He says it is about safeguarding the future of the Basin’s youth and securing the region’s hard-won progress. This especially considering the political and health emergencies that countries like Sierra Leone and Liberia have gone through in the past two decades.
Any approach to preventing the spread of Kush needs to transcend national borders and harness the collective strength of the Mano River Basin countries, and potentially involve the Economic Community of West African States. Cross-border public awareness campaigns should aim to destigmatise addiction, fostering a sense of collective responsibility and encouraging affected individuals to seek help.
The three governments should set up community-based rehabilitation programmes and seek international support for dealing with the ramifications of a drug that the sub-region is yet to fully understand.
Dr Feyi Ogunade, Regional Organised Crime Observatory Coordinator, West Africa
Image: JOHN WESSELS / AFP
