A new drug epidemic is in full swing in West Africa, mainly in the Sierra Leone region. Every week, the country is seeing around a dozen people killed and thousands admitted to the hospital for care after the use of the new drug.
Officially named “Kush,” it’s being labeled a zombie drug for the effects it has on users. Composed of cannabis, fentanyl, tramadol, formaldehyde, and (according to word on the street) ground-up human bones.
The main users of the new zombie drug are men in the 18 to 25 age range. It’s said that Kush causes users to fall asleep in strange places, even while walking, leading to an array of head abrasions and injuries. Some zombified users have even fallen asleep while walking and wandered into traffic.
Though the United States has a drug of its own named Kush, the African version of Kush should not be confused with the U.S. version of the zombie drug. American Kush is typically just a specific sort of marijuana. Sometimes the marijuana is sprayed with other drugs, but mostly, Kush is just a slang term for weed.
Kush in Sierra Leone is mixed with local criminal gangs. The drugs they use to compose their version of Kush are typically sourced from international dealers. Gangs can utilize the power of the internet and other digital communications to acquire the fentanyl, tramadol, and formaldehyde needed to formulate the zombie drug.
While the marijuana used in the African version of Kush is locally grown in Sierra Leone, the fentanyl is suspected to be crafted in some secret illegal Chinese lab and shipped to West Africa. Tramadol is thought to have a similar origin, but it likely comes from illegal laboratories all across Asia.
Officially named “Kush,” it’s being labeled a zombie drug for the effects it has on users.
When it comes to the ingredients of ground human bones, there’s no proof as to whether that bit of knowledge is just a rumor or fact. It’s likely that the adage was an exciting, yet mythical, addition to the recipe for the drug, drummed up in the minds of users.
However, is there any legitimate reason why drug makers would include the crushed bones of humans as an element of their new formulation? There could be. Human bones contain small amounts of sulfur, and smoking sulfur would produce a high.
It’s said that Kush causes users to fall asleep in strange places, even while walking, leading to an array of head abrasions and injuries.
The downside to that theory is that smoking sulfur produces highly toxic sulfur dioxide, and there wouldn’t be large enough concentrations of sulfur present in ground-up human bones to get anyone high.
The zombie drug has also been discovered in Guinea and Liberia, which both share a border with Sierra Leone, meaning trafficking of the new drug is already in full swing. Kush costs an average of 5 leones per joint, which is less than a penny in U.S. dollars, and users can smoke up to 40 joints a day.
The effects of the zombie drug extend further than sleepiness, hallucinations, and disorientation. The effects of the new zombie drug extend to finances and crime as well. The people of Sierra Leone only make a little more than $600 a year. Working to find the money for the next fix often leads to prostitution and other criminal activity.
Source: The Conversation
Sarah Carter is a health and wellness expert residing in the UK. With a background in healthcare, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, promoting healthier living for readers.
