Psychoactive drug made from HUMAN BONES that has seen addicts digging up GRAVES to get high leads to Sierra Leone declaring a national emergency – as ‘zombie’ narcotic sweeps through West Africa, killing a dozens a month

Sierra Leone has declared a national emergency over a psychoactive drug made from human bones.

The country has witnessed a sharp spike in the abuse of the drug Kush, forcing police officers to guard cemeteries in the capital Freetown to deter young men from digging up skeletons to get high.

Kush is a drug made from a variety of substances, including toxic chemicals, herbs, cannabis and disinfectant, but one of its main ingredients is ground up human bone, as they contain traces of sulfur, which can reportedly enhance the drug’s action.

Yesterday, Sierra Leone’s President Bio said in a national broadcast: “Our country is currently facing an existential threat from the devastating impact of drug and substance abuse, especially the devastating synthetic drug Kush.”

Although it is difficult to determine the number of people affected, Sierra Leone’s only psychiatric hospital, a renovated British colonial-era facility, is overrun with young addicts brought in by families desperate for help.

Pictured: A man sleeps in a drug den at the Kington dump in Freetown, in July 2023

Pictured: A woman sleeping while in a Kush drug den in Freetown, in July 2023

Although no official death toll has been linked to Kush abuse, a Freetown doctor told the BBC that hundreds of young men had died in recent months from organ failure caused by the drug.

Between 2020 and 2023, admissions to the Sierra Leone Psychiatric Hospital for Kush-related illnesses increased by almost 4,000 percent, with the vast majority being young men between the ages of 18 and 25.

It first emerged in Sierra Leone about six years ago and produces a long-lasting, hypnotic high that can disconnect users from reality for hours.

It normally costs just 20p per joint, although reports suggest many are spending as much as £8 a day on the drug, which is a huge amount when you consider the average income is just £400 a year.

In response to this worrying increase, the President has established a National Task Force on Drug and Substance Abuse, which means establishing centers in every county that are “adequately staffed by appropriately trained professionals to provide care and support to people with drug addiction ‘.

Currently there is only one drug rehabilitation center in the entire country, and that is in Freetown, but even that was only established earlier this year and has only 100 beds.

In addition, police have been tasked with dismantling the drug supply chain through “investigations, arrests and prosecutions.”

Dr. Abdul Jalloh, head of Sierra Leone’s psychiatric hospital, said Mr Bio’s emergency declaration is “the right step” and will be “critical in tackling drug abuse”.

Another who has seen its effects added: ‘Kush takes you to another world where you don’t know yourself’

With a joint of 20 cents, it is making a terrible advance among young people in a West African country that is among the poorest in the world

A new ‘zombie drug’ containing human bones is sweeping through Sierra Leone, killing two users every week – and causing dealers to rob graves to meet demand

“It means the prioritization of resources, attention and intervention to combat this growing epidemic,” he said.

One victim Abu Bakhar, 25, recounted Channel 4 News he gave up hope of a music career when the drug turned him into a ‘zombie’.

He said, “Because of the drugs, I didn’t concentrate on studies. The drugs kept me from focusing on writing. The drugs made me unable to concentrate on anything.’

Experts believe that very high youth unemployment is also exacerbating the problem.

Like many others, he is now homeless and living in a landfill on the outskirts of Freetown, along with more than a thousand others who reportedly live there.

Another who has seen its effects added: “Kush takes you to another world where you don’t know yourself.

‘It’s like there’s something demonic in it. They see their friends and people around them dying and yet they still take it.”

However, it is no longer just a problem in Sierra Leone; reports indicate it is spreading across West Africa, with more than a million people in the urban areas of Liberia and Guinea suffering from addiction.

“Kush is a very dangerous drug, like heroin or cocaine, it is strong, cheap and easily available, there is weak regulation and control over the sale of the drug and it is becoming widespread in West Africa,” says Dr Edward Nahim, a consultant psychiatrist at the Sierra Leone Psychiatric Teaching Hospital.

‘The lack of jobs and opportunities is a driving force that has driven many young people to drug addiction following the disruption of economies by the Covid pandemic.’