By Hassan Osman Kargbo
Over the past months in Sierra Leone, the country has been grabbling with serious concerns that need urgent actions from the government. The level of Kush intake in the country cannot be overemphasized. The danger of Kush to the youth in Sierra Leone lies primarily in its potential to cause addiction, impair cognitive function, and negatively impact physical and mental health. Kush, a potent strain of cannabis, can lead to decreased motivation, memory problems, and even psychological issues like anxiety and psychosis, particularly when used at a young age. Additionally, its illegal status means users are at risk of legal consequences, further jeopardizing their future prospects. Therefore, educating the youth about the risks associated with Kush is crucial to preventing its harmful effects in Sierra Leone.
However, the question that keeps ringing on my mind is, if the government is really serious to fight this menace that is ravaging the lives of young energetic youths of Sierra Leone. The country is seriously facing with hardship which is one of the main problems, and incessant abuses of Kush in the country have just added more problems into the existing problem in the country. This menace called Kush is a substance rolled up and smoked like a cigarette or cannabis. The number of youth that are in it is alarming and the government really need to up their game if only they’re serious in fighting this menace. The Rising cases in Sierra Leone have shown that the drug is dangerous for human consumption. It could make them to unable to stand upright, and sleeping whole day could be another bad situation for Kush intakes. They might change looks, some might start swollen and other unpleasant situations may start happenings with those intakes.
It’s high time we called Kush an epidemic in Sierra Leone, but the leaders at the top are not paying much attention to this problem because rumour have it that those government officials are the biggest Kush importers in the country that is they’re given it a blind eyes. This government seems not to take this Kush issue seriously in the country. The drug keeps on hindering the future of the youth in the country.
Moreover, some people are claiming that the government is trying its best to tackle this menace. But, it’s not a secret that much needed to be done if only they want to minimize if not to eradicate Kush entirely in the county.
In addition, to show that the government is merely joking in fighting Kush, the Executive Director of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Andrew Jaiah Kaikai, mentioned that the agency that’s in the forerunner to fight drugs in the country does not have even a bicycle to do its work, it has only 12 permanent staff and can’t afford to pay for its electricity. This shows that the government is not serious to fight this menace because a whole Drugs Agency doesn’t have enough staffs to fight against Kush. They don’t have even a bicycle to move around the City and most importantly to move to the provinces to to sensitize the people about the danger of Kush. This is a big slap on the face of this regime that’s claiming that they’re serious in fighting Kush. Could you imagine, a whole Agency’s office don’t have money to pay for their electricity. What a shame to this government and its allies! Our country is bigger than this, why this government don’t want to take the bull by its horns in ensuring that we fight this menace in the country.
Mr. Kaikai was speaking at a meeting with Members of Parliament on plans to address the drug abuse especially Kush in the country said he needs the requisite support to be able to do his work. The agency doesn’t have the requisite to fight Kush and they are giving it blind eyes.
Recently, we saw the 32 youths who were buried last week and their death were purported to be as a result of Kush, and we also saw those who are being shaved around are victims too of a failed system, a system that doesn’t care to even fund an agency that is so important in the fight against drug abuse. Are they serious in fighting this Kush saga? This is the biggest question people have been asking.
This drug that the government is neglecting is not just a substance; it is a silent killer that is tearing apart the fabric of our society. The government and it apparatus cannot afford to sit idly without taken serious action, while our youth fall victim to its destructive influence on a daily basis.
We want to call upon each and every one to join the fight against Kush. If only we come on board we can make a difference and reclaim our vibrant youth from this clutches of this deadly drug.
The government has a bigger responsibility to address what they’ve neglected that has now become a threat to our society. The government really need to take this Kush issue seriously in the country if not we could continue to see dead bodies in and out Of Freetown.
