Their situation in life is hopeless and impoverished.
They anticipate that "Kush" will provide them relief, but the nirvana comes at a terrible cost.
In Sierra Leone, the newly legalized drug is horribly affecting the youth.
Mohamed (name changed), a 25-year-old garbage collector, smoked a joint laced with kush on the edge of a trash dump in the nation's capital, Freetown.
He claimed that he would engage in "high meditation" for about an hour before going to sleep, waking up, and eating.
Do it all over again a short while afterwards.
We smoke it all day long, he claimed.
I spend a lot of money on it every day, perhaps $10 or 200 leones, which is a small fortune in a nation where the average annual per capita income is less than $500.
The country in West Africa is one of the least developed in the world.
Nearby, in the centre of a slum where kids played among pigs and trash, Mohamed's friends were jammed inside a shack enveloped in kush smoke.
distributed by gangs of criminals
The medicine was created synthetically, and it first appeared half a dozen years ago.
According to Abdul Sheku Kargbo, chief of the National Substance Law Enforcement Agency, "the drug is a combination of the many chemicals and plants that imitate the natural (cannabinoid) THC found in cannabis." It is produced and supplied by criminal gangs.
The active ingredient's concentration can be "exponentially increased," ratcheting up potency, he said.
"Young people are dying," said Ibrahim Hassan Koroma, founder of an NGO called the Mental Watch Advocacy Network.
"We need a speedy and refocused strategy to see how young people are taking from this drug intake. But at the moment it is quite alarming," he says.
Kush users seem to be everywhere in Freetown, from the slums to well-heeled areas, sitting slumped with their heads lolling and sometimes sleeping standing up.
Hellish cycle
Kadiatu, 22, is one of the individuals who developed a heroin addiction.
My muscles and joints sometimes hurt when I wake up from sleep without smoking, she admitted.
"I feel okay, I feel alright, my meditation alters, and my mood gets calm when I smoke two or three (joints). I eat a lot after smoking, "She spoke.
She turns to sex work as a way to pay for her hits.
She acknowledged that she had psychological wounds in addition as knife wounds on her body.
She said, "I used to be a happy woman with plenty of fashionable clothing. "Look at the hair on my head; I no longer plait my hair," I said.
Koroma visited a "hideout" where about 100 kush were hiding holes while strolling through the impoverished area of Crab Town.
He asserted that neglect and poverty were the main contributors to their addiction.
"We don't want to stigmatize them by making judgments about them or pointing fingers at them.
The only mental hospital in Sierra Leone, a refurbished building from the British colonial era, is overrun with young addicts who have been brought in by desperate families.
According to acting medical superintendent and resident psychiatrist Jusu Mattia, admissions to the hospital are 60% connected to kush.
inadequate resources and infrastructure
Numerous people were laying in beds at the drug misuse unit.
He claimed that the facility "receives individuals who are at the extreme end — they are inebriated, or they are crazy."
He said that neglect and poverty were the primary causes of their addiction.
"We don't want to stigmatize them by excluding them or pointing the finger at them.
Young addicts brought in by families in need of assistance are overrun at Sierra Leone's only psychiatric institution, a refurbished building from the British colonial era.
Jusu Mattia, acting medical superintendent and resident psychiatrist, claimed that marijuana-related illnesses account for 60% of hospital admissions.
absence of resources and infrastructure
Dozens of patients were sleeping in the drug misuse unit.
The facility "receives individuals that are at the extreme end — they are inebriated, or they are crazy," he claimed.
"I felt like I was in another world, different from this one," he said.
The best piece of advise I can give is to "avoid kush."
Despite his jubilant demeanour, the facility lacks the staffing necessary to offer follow-up care, and relapses are frequent.
Due to its limited funding, a US NGO by the name of Partners in Help pays for medications, treatment programs, and staff training.
However, many kush addicts have no access to any kind of care; if they are not dangerous, they are just left alone to live like "zombies" without anyone to look after them, according to Superintendent Mattia.
According to him, the hospital can only address "the tip of an iceberg." It's a really significant and pervasive issue.
Kush
Kush appears to be a highly addictive substance that is causing significant physical, mental, and social problems among its users.
Kush is described as a synthetic drug that is chemically engineered to mimic the effects of natural cannabinoids, particularly THC found in cannabis. This chemical composition allows its potency to be greatly increased, making it more addictive and potentially dangerous.
The consequences of kush addiction are dire. The youth who fall into its grip face a cycle of hopelessness and poverty. The drug's allure promises relief and a form of "high meditation," but it exacts a severe cost on their health, well-being, and overall quality of life. Users become trapped in a cycle where they need the drug to function and escape their challenges, only to find themselves sinking further into addiction, leading some to turn to sex work or other risky behaviours to sustain their habit.
The inadequate resources and infrastructure in Sierra Leone compound the problem. The country's only mental hospital is overwhelmed by young addicts, a significant portion of whom are admitted due to kush-related issues. The lack of follow-up care, proper treatment programs, and a coordinated approach to addiction exacerbates the problem. While some efforts are made by NGOs to provide medication and treatment, the widespread nature of the issue and the limited resources available pose significant challenges in addressing the problem effectively.
Furthermore, the societal stigma surrounding addiction and mental health issues adds another layer of complexity to the situation. Many individuals struggling with kush addiction are left without proper care and support, forced to fend for themselves as they battle addiction's grip. The lack of a comprehensive strategy to address both the root causes of addiction and its treatment creates a cycle of suffering for the youth of Sierra Leone.
In summary, the story of kush addiction in Sierra Leone paints a picture of a vulnerable youth population caught in a cycle of poverty, addiction, and inadequate resources. The lack of comprehensive support systems and effective treatment exacerbates the issue, resulting in significant challenges for both the affected individuals and society as a whole.