By: Ibrahim J. Conteh
Wellington, a community in the east end of Freetown that houses most of the local industries has now transformed into a drugs castle where unemployment youths converge almost on daily basis in anticipation of securing a job offer (mostly unskilled Jobs). Makeshift structures located around these Companies serves as breeding grounds for violence and other community menaces, where some of these youths almost on daily are seen snoozing and profusely sweating in broad day light with their mouths widely opened and eyes closed, others snuffing some white substance in a piece of paper, while the rest could be seen busy replacing the tobacco leaves in cigarettes sticks with some substance (kush).
It’s unarguable that incidents of such is prevalent in different locations of Freetown. Drug/substance abuse is said to be taking a terrifying dimension in Sierra Leone especially in the capital Freetown. Apart from reports of chronic health conditions of abusers, experts have also established a nexus between the menace and rising incidences of violence, crimes and accidents. The enormity of the danger of drug misuse calls for urgent need to nip the problem in the bud. The undesirable subculture had flourished whereby adolescents and young adults wantonly indulged in the abuse of illicit substances in the nook and cranny of Freetown.
The issue of drug abuse is not a novelty in Sierra Leone and the world at large, but the pace at which it is prevailing needs more and urgent attention by all and sundry to curb the menace. Conventional substances such as cannabis spark 2, Kush, and prescription opioids, such as tramadol and codeine are also experimented with dangerous mixtures by youth. Loss in productivity and mental health issues are some of the consequence of drug/substance abuse.
Dr. Keifa Koromba Kpallu is the Resident Psychiatrists at Kissy Psychiatric Teaching Hospital. He broadly categorizes drugs into psychoactive and non-psychoactive substances. He said psychoactive substances are opioids like tramadol, morphine, heroine and more. He added that stimulants like cocaine, depressants like diazepam, and relief, and hallucinogens like LSD, and others like kush marijuana, hashish, shisha and more are all sub categories of psychoactive substances.
He said substances usually abused includes cocaine, marijuana, shisha, hallucinogen, haloid, methamphetamine, LSD, DMT, heroin, ecstasy, and more all of which he said can either cause de-motivational syndrome, social personality disorder, or hallucination.
Dr. Kpallu confirmed that about 80% of patients in the hospital are youth, adding that about 85% of the causes of their illness are as a result substance or drug abuse or misuse. He said in recent years there has been a surge in the number of cases reported to the hospital, reiterating that 20% of psychosocial illnesses (illnesses as a result drug/substance abuse) brought to the hospital fully recovered from their condition, and that 80% remain in their condition for lifetime.
He maintained that the 80% who could not be cure are those having anti-social personality disorder like stealing, gambling and those involve in clique activities. He concluded that supply of drug can never be completely eradicated; the only solution he said is to reduce the demand. “One does not have to abuse drug for long before been affected, taking drug for the first time may cause serious harm”, he said.
The Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone (PBSL) regulates the production, distribution and use of pharmaceuticals and also enforces standard to prevent misuse of medicines through the Enforcement and Narcotics Department.
Dr. Sahr Emmanuel Gbomor is the Head of Complementary and Alternative Medicines Department at Pharmacy Board Sierra Leone, he stated that Pharmaceutical drugs are commonly misuse and taken as stimulants. He said they conducts regular drug audits of wholesalers and distributors of pharmaceutical premises and regularly inspects pharmaceutical premises to ensure they comply with standards of pharmaceutical care and pharmaceutical supply chain management.
“Pharmacy Board also has an outreach programme through which it regularly educates the public on safe and efficacious use of medicines and health products”, he stated.
Dr. Gbomor said that Pharmacy Board has established Task Forces comprising Pharmacy Board Enforcement, Narcotics Department and Inspection Department as Law Enforcement Agencies. “However it faces limitations in terms of its powers to prosecute,” he maintained.
“Multiple border entry points undermine effective control of pharmaceutical imports into Sierra Leone, and there is only one Pharmacy graduating Institution in Sierra Leone which is contributing to the lack of enough Pharmacy manpower,” He disclosed.
He highlighted some inroads made by the Board. But despite those achievements, pharmaceutical drug abuse is still going unabated except for tramadol which over the past years have been very scarce and expensive due to measures initiated by the Board and it partners.
The immediate aftermath of drug and substance abuse is extremely noticeable in Freetown. Reactions of drug/substance abuse vary on the type of substances abused or the systems of the abusers. Some abusers behave vulgarly to an extent of becoming a threat to their own lives and other people’s lives as well.
Today drug/substance abuse has become a phenomenon among youth in Freetown. It is most common among youth and young adult. Experts believe that peer group pressure or influence and depression as another causes of drug abuse, which has led most pupils and university students into this harmful practice. It’s believed that if government do not put measures in place to drastically reduce drug abuse there will be an unimaginable number of mentally disturbed or mad people in the streets of Freetown and its environs.
Government through the Ministry of Youth Affairs has also been making some frantic efforts to ensure that most of the youths in the country are gainfully engaged. Mohamed Orman Bangura is minister of Youth Affairs “We are doing a lot to ensure that youth are gainfully engaged which also could help them stay-off substance abusing”, he explained.
He mentioned several projects the ministry is undertaking to keep the youth employed. He highlighted the 1400 youth in fishing, youth in car wash, youth in entrepreneurship, chiefdom youth farm, youth at risk, national youth service and more, as a way of fruitfully engaging the youth populace. Minister Bangura said the “youth at risk” is a scheme that has a special sector which embarks on sensitizing youth on dangers of substance abuse and rehabilitating those who are already into it.
Joseph G. Bangali is the Acting National Coordinator for Health Network Sierra Leone, a leading civil society organization in the fight against drugs and alcohol abuse. He said drug/substance abuse or misuse is a worldwide crisis which needs collaborative effort to help tackle the menace. He suggested that government should set aside some special amount to the youth ministry so that they can carry out massive sensitization against drug/substance abuse.
He added that over the years they have been organising campaign in schools, ghettos and deprived communities so that the menace can be curtail”, he stated. He concluded by calling on government and its partners to assist with logistical support so that they can intensify sensitisation and campaign against drug abuse all over the country especially Freetown.