The deadly drug 'mixed with human bones': Sierra Leone’s war on kush

Sierra Leone is facing a drug abuse epidemic of young people becoming addicted to ‘kush’ - a deadly cocktail of chemicals, drugs and even human bones.
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The government has announced a crackdown on kush and called the crisis a national emergency as unknown numbers of people are dying from its use.
While police raid drug dens, the government burns confiscated drugs, and desperate families turn to the help of ‘kush healers’ who put users in chains. Our reporter Saidu Bah asks: can the spread of kush be stopped?
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#SierraLeone #Drugs #Kush #Africa

[@kourion1974]

refreshing to see a local journalist telling local stories

[@Powsimian]

hmm

[@Nattado365Washington]

Breaking news Beacon Tracker Unjustified use By Jamaica England And America 2024

[@nvanpitt1549]

Tru Dat !

[@briannacooper2628]

I really appreciate the respectful and reflective tone this took.

[@gloriaf6971]

This is just too depressing.

[@wym5311]

Was in Sierra Leone back in 2018 and the state of that nation is heartbreaking. Honestly no one has hope there. No jobs nothing set in place and now this. Can confirm that kush didnt explode and wasnt around back in 18.

[@dizzymindy6024]

What took you to Sierra Leone? It must have been a very interesting experience.

[@ragnarandersson2866]

People can start farming...but they are lazy....😂😂😂

[@AfricaMiSeh]

​@@ragnarandersson2866 or rather your prople stop pludering and looting their resources and manipulating their politics and economies

[@missybell2604]

@@ragnarandersson2866 there is very limited usable farmland

[@NurseSnow2U]

@@ragnarandersson2866I always say this. Their suffering is self inflicted and they have no shame or self awareness / accountability / scruples whatsoever. 🤷🏽‍♀️

[@kennethvenezia4400]

At the end of this video, the narrator ask, "I wonder why people want to get high in the first place." You should tell us, because I see how these people have to live, and it's no mystery to me. Extremely tragic, and it's everywhere in this world😢

[@JamarEdgar]

You're exactly right, even the people that appear as if they're better than those that need help seem to be strangers to reality..

[@nelsonjanusson7278]

thats not what he said. he said " i cant help but think there is so much work to be done to adress the reasons why people want to get high in the first place". a very different sentiment.

[@gokulrajramaswamy4938]

The Guardian - Please give the journalist an award for his sensitive work

[@MrHDE-ex6xl]

Seconded 👍

[@trza100]

Seeing the smile and pride on Ibrahim’s face made me really happy for him. He is a strong boy and he will make it out of this. Prayers to him and everyone else.

[@houseofhappinesssierraleon2812]

Thanks for including us in your documentary 🙏

[@houseofhappinesssierraleon2812]

The youths are suffering in Sierra Leone 🇸🇱

[@ChamillionAccounts]

The man in the video mention Texas and Califrnia have kush problems. But im telling you, the stuff we call kuch here in the states is much much different that the stuff they call kush. Here in the US, kush does not make you lose your mind, and it does not make wounds all over your body

[@streetcamuk]

Kush is just their local nickname he's talking about research chemicals in general. Like synthetic canniboids and opioids. There's spice/bath salt and fentanyl epidemics in the US no?

[@dazasc3994]

hes talking about spice which most definitely turns you in to a zombie

[@sarahashun1180]

Well America have Tranq, which does that exact thing. In Philly it’s become an epidemic. I’ve seen the videos all over KZbin.

[@ramatgan1]

The chemicals are imported into Sierra Leone by the US Embassy in Freetown. The US is intentionally destroying Sierra Leone.

[@hope4sale209]

KUSH SOLD AT GAS STATIONS AKA SPICE WHICH IS SMOKED ALL OVER THE USA..HEAVILY SMOKED IN PRISONS.YEARS BACK A MAN ATE SOMEONES FACE ON A BUS..

[@SenesieSitta]

Saidu Bah Mohamed, I'm so proud of you work. Great brother..

[@essblackhand4760]

Legalise marijuana, allow people to grow it like in Amsterdam, Germany etc and now dealers have to find a real job

[@Shewas-kathybates]

The dealers will still be dealing it would just be legal and in a shop instead of the streets. That’s what’s happened in the states.

[@andrina118]

@@Shewas-kathybates Reduces gangsterism though and they pay tax

[@Laffey99]

@@andrina118 Don't pay tax because taxation is theft.

[@FlowKio]

@@Shewas-kathybatesactually most dealers turn to dealing with harder drugs because they’re not educated/ have criminal records and won’t be on the list of considerations for any position in the industry

[@johnsmith-jq1uc]

a great reporter, truly one of the best

[@jacobfoster9185]

Can you imagine living in a literal garbage pile NOT a dump just garbage and the arrest is so odd!? Taking her money and whatever else that she has..no evidence bags or logs and no restraints just riding on the back of a BIKE !?

[@regolyth]

I was thinking how unfair it was, they had zero proof. Witch hunt comes to mind.

[@liukang85]

they had a bag of lots of kush which she said was for herself. But it looked like too much for that...

[@kiuk_kiks]

@@regolyth They had proof right there. They confiscated her Kush from her bag along with her drug money.

[@kiuk_kiks]

This is Africa mate. What do you expect?

[@ThompsonKoroma]

She was not arrested by police officers my dear,show was arrested by citizens that volunteer to put an end to Kush in their community.

[@L0WLIF3iC0N]

11:19 absolutely not a legit rehab program but more like county jail with even less freedom and dignity. 😢

[@MrHorse-by3mp]

I'm no scientist, but seriously, there's no way the bones actually do anything, right? I mean, apart from making the whole thing more macabre.

[@professorweeto]

It was to get the formaldehyde that had soaked into the bones as a result of the preservation process.

[@truthhurts3709]

I heard the drug requires large amounts of calcium, hence the bones

[@andrina118]

@@truthhurts3709 No

[@ramatgan1]

The chemicals are imported into Sierra Leone by the US Embassy in Freetown. The US is intentionally destroying Sierra Leone.

[@uraninite8151]

It does nothing but psychologically it might have a kind of placebo effect

[@downeyd88]

That reporter sees it for what it is and tells it so.

[@TroubleHarris]

That not a smart idea to put those chemicals up in the air.

[@ramatgan1]

The chemicals are imported into Sierra Leone by the US Embassy in Freetown. The US is intentionally destroying Sierra Leone.

[@ThePastaManCan]

Not many people have "access" to a fresh Christian corpse, they also mentioned things documented years ago.

[@prof.scheere6933]

That's what i said. Aren't they all getting second hand high. That whole village is high now

[@UmaroKabia-o4l]

My question is that how come this kush entering this country sierra leone

[@Wazabanga1]

That official is right..Kush is everywhere even in the US..Many addicts in the US especially Kensington Philadelphia they have such wounds as side effects..Some use wild animal tranquilizers.

[@kashier2x]

Lol y'all got the wrong kush

[@zalibecquerel3463]

4:10 WHOA! That's certainly one way to acquire formalin

[@rebeccaoprea9917]

This is certainly not going to help their current situation.

[@user-zm3sy1yq6v]

No,it's not the drug which is evil.Human is evil.

[@oksure900]

Poverty, misery 💔

[@jacobfoster9185]

THOUSANDS are born "live" and die without ever leaving a hint that they existed.

[@kingmaafa120]

Deep

[@yungmentalproblems]

More like millions

[@10MM-MAGAMAN-420]

So ?

[@UmaroKabia-o4l]

I think the government should first focus on how to stop importing this addictive drug instead of destroying people's poor homes

[@verleguntrumjr.2787]

This is beyond a tragedy and these folks are also beyond impoverished. Be grateful you all for everything.

[@Ismon_01]

Kudos to that lab technician, he is very eloquent 💯❤️

[@ROYSIX]

Who’s this journalist and how informed is he ????

[@Ovampa]

If you defeated the temptations of all manners of smoking, congratulations 🎉👏

[@alexandrucraciun4520]

The Kush “healer” looked a bit drowsy?! 😂

[@Vymexx]

It's called colos here and nobody's paying attention either

[@Summitic]

10:07 The narrator's voice sounded like he recorded it on a microphone made from Kush!...

[@knowmenomo]

Our world is in such a dark horrendous place right now it truly is the end of all humanity

[@houseofhappinesssierraleon2812]

Thanks

[@Steveinthailand]

Ive used Spice, especially in Vietnam, as a sleeping aid in very small doses: nice (tiny joint). How on Earth you can get hooked on this stuff though amazes me. Its an awful high (when youre awake).

[@ramatgan1]

The chemicals are imported into Sierra Leone by the US Embassy in Freetown. The US is intentionally destroying Sierra Leone.

[@resurrection355]

I like the kush healer guy😂 he is an entrepreneur🤣🤣

[@gxobinjasambemntungwa9694]

😂😂😂when he's talking,you listen.i like it

[@bigsmoke4568]

Im watching this video right now while smoking some kush

[@TheDenizxo]

This is a different type of kush then we have in north America for sure. 😅

[@aswadafandi8162]

Opiates are the worst withdrawal for drugs, Kush's withdrawal is like walking in the garden.

[@truth-hurts3089]

Sounds a bit like in UK when we had the "spice" epidemic. I remember walking from my office block where I worked towards car and there was bodies everywhere. It was like zombie land. It stopped when the psychoactive law came in.

[@dazasc3994]

did it really stop? the law just bans certain chemicals and the chemists find different alternatives

[@ramatgan1]

The chemicals are imported into Sierra Leone by the US Embassy in Freetown. The US is intentionally destroying Sierra Leone.

[@fredrikb343]

cost more in the long term to enforce a war on drugs then it is to give addicts treatment

[@spiritualvibrations2825]

Shame on the chemist that created this drug.

[@nvanpitt1549]

Its a big mystery WHY do sooo many people want to get high?....Just cant figure it out

[@squirrel9760]

Have you ever tried

[@naturalbeauty4734]

Gave up on life!! 😔

[@alexandersalz5850]

sierra leona also produces some of the best coco beans on the planet ! :) thought that would a nice funfact after dark stuff this :D hope they solve this

[@jamaljames2578]

Always watching from Georgetown Guyana south America 🇬🇾🇬🇾

[@ramatgan1]

The chemicals are imported into Sierra Leone by the US Embassy in Freetown. The US is intentionally destroying Sierra Leone.

[@mpmcruz]

I’m depressed. Horrible and terrible.

[@GadisBaliLivesAbroad]

Money and greed are the root of evil.

[@CountSadistOIII]

I can tell you that no one kicking"kush" never seen never heard

[@HeavyProfessor]

Smoking ground up dirty nappies and human bones mixed with bug repellant

[@Mr3344555]

They're actually smoking on the real non metaphorical Opp pack, what the heck

[@Spv1627]

Awful

[@GMAN420BC]

Exactly why we grow our own in Canada. But even then, nobody is spending time and money to spike the cannabis in Canada. It’s too cheap. Probably cheaper than the chemicals you say are being added.

[@MirMir-ii9ul]

Smoking kush aint bad for you you hear me i smoke kush but when i smoked it i mate the gunghaman im so high i might have spelled wrong you hear me

[@jacobfoster9185]

I was confused by the name because in the states that is the name of the dust from the leaves of the Marijuana plant and shouldn't have any chemicals..other than what naturally grows and certainly not formaldehyde. I'm not advocating the use of either just the difference. I've been there during my deployments and I'd either leave or numb myself too. "Houses" are barely tin sheds no electricity or water. Dirt floor completely dehumanizing and the ( getting "rich") is a lower level of poverty than the vast majority of our homeless population.

[@ottodietz7644]

That;s not the name in the US. WhaT are you smoking bro? Kief is what you're talking about. And Kush is a strain of the plant lol.

[@JusttMarvvin]

Same situation here in 🇱🇷 Liberia, its truly a substance abuse epidemic and its deadly 😢

[@Ascension646]

4:45 don't smoke kuush kids.

[@ansumanajammeh-rm8fl]

This kush seller is heartless

[@alphaleonee1683]

Smoking human bones sadly only in sierra leone 😔 00:59

[@MisDawn-ij3oo]

You have to be cruel to be kind especially to these drug addicts!!

[@wwondertwin]

What liquid are the cops just pouring down there? Just into the ground like that? They had a bunch of chemicals in the makeshift lab, nothing that should be disposed like that.

[@squirrel9760]

Do they look like they have a specific place to put stuff like that.

[@DFontaine7]

Manager Aruna seemed under the influence of something.

[@Horton.1114]

For your first job as a journalist you did very well . I hope you have a bright future in journalism.. I pray for people to get help from doing drugs

[@Day1.602]

So its basically Spice or K2

[@mazetoeden9334]

heartbreaking

[@Ace_milli]

I feel like a Fever 😂. Got me, Happy Ok

[@k.q4204]

Sounds like the spice epidemic we had in England

[@fredo1070]

Is this Croydon?

[@PUBLICcfcUSA]

Great reports and choice of genre.

[@ageoftarot6881]

they want to keep their country going? for what? more suffering?

[@joaofranciscojundo4421]

I miss my country.

[@betterpoliticsquetu]

if the us lost the war on drugs i doubt sierra leone will win

[@thedrunkzombie9173]

Yummmmmmo nappies and dead bones 😂😂😂

[@bahabamariuskone3109]

Poverty leads to bad thing, authorities invest in youth, help us

[@zackwhite639]

Here in West Virginia ( US ) and I've never heard of this

[@ramatgan1]

The chemicals are imported into Sierra Leone by the US Embassy in Freetown. The US is intentionally destroying Sierra Leone.

[@latilewawilhelm7774]

This drug is evil I wont say much about it

[@LeonorSilva-fm6hf]

I can’t watch this It’s breaks my heart. I am praying for the children and people of Sierra Leone 🇸🇱 lord have mercy. ❤🙏

[@mikeyang6003]

Human bones can't make you high, right?

[@veer-ps4nv]

Human bones ? The stupidest superstitious myth I ever heard in my life. Chinese chemicals and drugs that they export to the world, even America

[@squirrel9760]

Please don’t ever vote

[@titotobi-lawal2083]

this is crazy

[@isimotmuheeb4024]

In Africa, that will be the solution.They don’t have the luxury of chasing after the addicts.

[@oama2009]

Kush is to SL as Colorado is to Naija.

[@veer-ps4nv]

It's a synthetic marijuana, called K2

[@YallahHarleyson]

Hope my government should take the same measure 🇱🇷🇱🇷🇱🇷 kush

[@kofigyamerah6364]

Government should initiate planting for food and jobs .where there will be more food to consume locally and some exported to neighboring countries even not abroad.

[@unioma]

wouldn't burning it effect ppl?

[@jacobfoster9185]

Media !? WHYYY...NO ONE HAS ELECTRICITY LET ALONE A TV...It's for the rest of the world. Meant to squeeze a few more pennies from aid packages that are then used by the area's 1% like ATMs. I am NOT advocating drugs of any kind but looking at what passes for "life" in places like this and I understand the appeal.

[@zalibecquerel3463]

The situation in the US sounds similar, even though there is supposedly a high standard of living. Have a read of the "Rat Pack" experiment on morphine. Definitely supports your insights.

[@ramatgan1]

The chemicals are imported into Sierra Leone by the US Embassy in Freetown. The US is intentionally destroying Sierra Leone.

[@bahdembo1171]

Sierra Leonians re becoming a big problem in The Gambia as well.

[@supriyantoutomo-ei1rn]

The ingredients is too easy to purchase

[@aandrus2169]

Horrifying

[@djhuiti100]

Big man,the kush in the west is NOTHING like the kush in Sierra Leone 😂

[@OTF_Life]

Trini wii😂

[@sitindogmas]

the deadly video promoting fear and ignorance !!!

[@squirrel9760]

How

[@junal27]

To say kush is a problem in Tx, EU and so on is a broad statement. There are serious issues there too but maybe kush is not the principal one

[@nyakeishajones9564]

I’m a blessed African American 🇺🇸 woman and I’m really missing Africa for real 😧 and I’m really knowing that the world is not helping or saving me because I’m a poor drug user and addict and 😢I don’t understand the pain and of suffering,,,because of the pain and suffering that I’ve endured all my life going through this situation throughout all of my life throughout my whole life and I’m dying realizing the pain of this situation of the drug addiction and the suffering,,,trauma and tragic loss,,, and painful depression and suffering death ☠️…..

[@Sportheadandlove]

As a Sierra Leone Aruna is doing well.

[@gabrielacelotto5677]

😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢❤❤❤❤

[@tsedekYAHeved]

wind carries

[@ericaknesek3266]

I wonder if the police in the military are going to just turn around and sell it back to the people and make some serious money in a seriously poor country ?

[@ibrahimh.koroma4347]

Indeed! Kush is deadly and has impacted negatively in the lives of the youths and country at large. Am proud to be part of the awareness raising campaigns, rehabilitation and reintegration in society.