The main ingredients in Sierra Leone's kush are synthetic opioids and cannabinoids, according to a report that has confirmed what health workers long feared about the drug ravaging the country's youth, the Associated Press reports.

Kush — not to be confused with the cannabis strain of the same name — emerged in Sierra Leone and neighbouring countries as a cheap street drug popular among unemployed young people. Its use has been blamed for a surge in severe mental-health presentations, admissions and street homelessness, particularly in Freetown and the southern provinces.

The analysis is significant because it shows highly potent opioids appearing in drug users in Africa for the first time, according to the AP report. Until now, the synthetic opioid crisis had been largely concentrated in North America and parts of Europe and Asia.

Treatment capacity remains minimal: rehabilitation services are scarce, and some affected young people are still restrained — even chained — by families who have no other options. Health advocates are calling for harm-reduction services, functioning rehabilitation centres, and a national response that treats addiction as a health crisis rather than a moral failing.

Women who use the drug face a double burden, with reports documenting intense stigma that keeps many from seeking help. Community organisations are urging the government to fund gender-sensitive treatment programmes as part of the response.

Source: Associated Press.