Sierra Leones kush epidemic response should be integrated with sexual and reproductive health services

On the streets of Freetown, a generation is being consumed by kush, a synthetic cannabinoid mixed with substances like fentanyl, tramadol and other synthetic compounds, with some unconfirmed reports suggesting it contains ground human bone.1 The sight of adolescents and young people, trapped in a “zombified” state, has spurred a national sense of panic, culminating in the government’s declaration of a national emergency on substance abuse.2 To effectively combat the kush epidemic, the government of Sierra Leone and its health development partners should not solely consider it as a substance abuse problem, but a possible fuel to the worsening of the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) issue in the country. Substance abuse collides with pre-existing SRH vulnerabilities, especially for adolescents and women, to produce a syndemic of risky sex, gender-based violence, unplanned pregnancies and unsafe abortion.2

The connection between kush addiction and SRH is direct…

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