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Sierra Leone Declares Emergency Over Fentanyl-Mix Drug Abuse

It's called "Kush" but should not be confused with the drug of the same name found in the US, which is a mixture of "an ever-changing host of chemicals" sprayed on plant matter and smoked. Kush in Sierra Leone is quite different; it is a mixture of cannabis, fentanyl, tramadol, formaldehyde, and - according to some - ground human bones.

The local government in Freetown has announced that they buried 32 young people, most of whom died from kush-related effects. The growing problem has led the West African nation to convene a major conference to discuss the issue. Citizens have now called on the national government to go a step further and declare a public emergency.

DW

Kush is making inroads among Sierra Leone's youth, although the precise composition of the drug is not always the same.

InFocus

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