Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale
World
RFI

‘Smoking to survive’: How Sierra Leone’s youth got hooked on kush

Boys taking kush at the Baghdad Den in Freetown, Sierra Leone, 11 March, 2025. AP - Caitlin Kelly

A cheap synthetic drug known as kush is ravaging West Africa and its epicentre is Sierra Leone. The government has declared kush a public health emergency, but poverty and trauma are slowing efforts by communities to help unhook young people from its sometimes deadly hold.

At 20, Ousmane’s future should be unfolding. Instead, he spends his days at a drug point in Grey Bush – a ghetto in the capital Freetown – hunting for money for his next dose of kush.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.