Sierra Leone declares state of emergency over drug made from people's bones

63 per cent of patients at a psychiatric hospital in Sierra Leone have been hospitalised for kush-related issues. Photo: bbc.com

In an address to the nation, Julius Maada Bio, president of the West African country of Sierra Leone, said the country was facing an "existential threat" because of drug addiction. Particularly dangerous, he said, is a synthetic drug called "kush", which he called a "death trap", according to BBC News.

In a nationwide broadcast on Thursday night, President Bio said: "Our country is currently faced with an existential threat due to the ravaging impact of drugs and substance abuse, particularly the devastating synthetic drug kush."

The drug appeared in Sierra Leone as well as neighbouring Liberia a few years ago. People addicted to kush waddle aimlessly in circles like zombies, slouching and bowing their heads to the side. Many have swollen arms and legs from infection. They abound on the streets of Freetown, the capital of this small country in western Africa.

The ingredients of kush include marijuana, fentanyl and tramadol. Another important ingredient is considered to be human bones. To stop the looting of graves, authorities have had to tighten security at cemeteries.

A Sierra Leonean doctor told a BBC News journalist that "in recent months" hundreds of young men had died from organ failure caused by kush in the capital. There are no official figures to confirm this figure yet.

Previously, Romanian priests in Italy discussed the problem of drug addiction in Europe.

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