Inside the ‘zombie’ drug epidemic sweeping West Africa
Experts say kush, a synthetic, cannabinoid-like drug is as dangerous as heroin and cocaine – and it's killing around a dozen users a week. The powerful synthetic drug “kush” has led to an addiction epidemic in Sierra Leone that's now spreading elsewhere in West Africa.
The potent blend of opioids, cannabis, disinfectant, and other chemicals distributed by criminal gangs induces a prolonged, hypnotic high among its users—primarily unemployed youths. “It’s strong, cheap and easily available, there is weak regulation and control over the sale of the drug,” said Sierra Leone psychiatrist Edward Nahim.
Sierra Leone has struggled with a surge in people using kush over the last three years, with ~2,000 cases reported in 2023 by the main psychiatric hospital.