By Nasratu Kargbo
With thousands of the country’s youths becoming walking zombies, unkempt and with sores all over their bodies-all manifesting the frightening symptoms of addiction to the drug Kush, Stakeholders have emphasized the urgent need for a rehabilitation facility to house them, and be managed by experts.
Speaking at a Town Hall on kush in Freetown on the 10th November 2023, in relation to the event’s the theme: “Addressing the challenges of Kush Addiction, youth resilience and sustainable development in Sierra Leone”, UN Resident Coordinator Babatunde Ahonsi said the victims should not be criminalized or victimized,but instead be rehabilitated, treated and reintegrated into the society.
Ahonsi stressed the need to disrupt the supply chain in order to curb the menace. He said UN is concerned at the scale and magnitude of youths involved in the use of the substance,and pointed out that there’s no way the country can actualize its development aspirations if it’s young people are not at the heart of efforts to transform it. The UN Envoy said youths’ addiction to drugs cannot put them in a position where they can be drivers of transformation.
He said that he believes that a multi-sectoral approach is key in handling the issue, stressing the essence of dealing with prevention, and the root causes.
Explaining her experience whilst taking care of drug victims at City of Rest, along the Regent –Jui Highway, Augusta Johnny spoke on the relevance of rehabilitation, the various steps involved, and how important it is to getting drug addicts back to normalcy. She however admitted it is a difficult process.
She said before the facility was gutted by fire, they had many patients that were there due to substance abuse.
Johnny said that it is important to understand the reason why people are led towards drug abuse, and narrated the challenges associated with the coping mechanisms.
She said some patients could stop taking the substance for over a year, but with one trigger, they will go back into unpleasant habit.
Answering the question of what has been done considering the government- run only Psychiatric hospital in Kissy is congested, whilst the private owned City of Rest has collapsed, Special Adviser to the President on Drugs, Carole Labour said they have a plan to open a rehabilitation centre, but said “we need interventions, we need investments to create rehabilitation centres and.. we need individuals that have the knowledge to rehabilitate people”. She explained that one of government’s plans is to ensure that they capacitate persons that will be managing people’s mental health issues.
The Minister of Social Welfare, Melrose Karminty said the government is making strides in establishing a rehabilitation centre, one she said that will support the recovery of persons affected by substance abuse and institute follow- up mechanisms to avoid a relapse.
She said the issue is viewed with utmost seriousness by Cabinet, and mentioned efforts being made by government to get rid of the menace.
According to the Chairman of the event/BBC Correspondent- Umaru Fofana, Kissy Hospital has no more room for new admission. He said Kush and tramadol account for 92% of all cases at the hospital, with Kush -72% and 20%-tramadol, whilst the other 8% of patients are users of cannabis and other drugs.
A key moment at the town hall gathering was testimonies by former drug addicts and those on the road to recovery.
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