Drug proliferation is a complex issue that has plagued societies around the world for decades, and Liberia is no exception.
The problem has been exacerbated by the rise of organized crime, which has made it easier for drugs to be produced, trafficked, and sold. Governments, law enforcement agencies, and non-governmental organizations have been working hard to combat drug proliferation through various initiatives.
Meanwhile, the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, or World Drug Day, is marked on June 26 every year to strengthen action and cooperation in achieving a world free of drug abuse. But the aim of this year’s campaign is to raise awareness about the importance of treating people who use drugs with respect and empathy, providing evidence-based, voluntary services for all, offering alternatives to punishment, prioritizing prevention, and leading with compassion.
However, this year’s celebration has met Liberia in a state of distress, especially when parents continue to swim in agony and frustration as they continue to be victimized, especially watching their children’s future being negatively redirected to a demeaning style of life, while some often suffer the tragedy of death, mainly through the use of Kush.
While battling other illicit substances, Liberia is strongly confronted by the nightmare of Kush, a very harmful illegal drug that is speedily increasing on every street corner across Liberia, while its terribleness has been seen through the multiplicity of demeaning ways it has treated its end users, especially young folks (at-risk youths and home children), through maltreatment, madness, and death.
A few months ago, there were several reports of deaths that were reportedly influenced by the consumption of kush in Caldwell, New Georgia, Central Caldwell Back Road, Grand Cape Mount, Cape Mount County, and other parts of Liberia, as young people remain the number one victims.
Hundreds of young Liberians are indescribably falling prey to the dreadful hands of the narcotic substance that’s also known as K2, which often treats them like they are running mad.
Drug addicts have described Kush as terrible as one can imagine, and they are being greatly affected by it because it is more dangerous than cocaine and marijuana.
“It’s something that, when you take it, makes you feel like you are in the next world; it makes you feel miserable; it’s very bad; and it’s something that, if you don’t have a good resistance, can kill you”, one of them noted.
Emphasizing the difference between Kush, marijuana, and cocaine, they said that though cocaine is bad, it’s more preferable and advisable to consume than Kush.
“The grass is much better than the Kush because you can be a bit okay if you take the grass, but the Kush, when it’s leaving from inside you, that’s the time you can know yourself, but it’s not correct; the kush is not correct; it’s very bad indeed; it’s a bad thing the people are bringing for us “.
According to the Kush addicts, they often buy it on Gurley Street, Buchanan, Center, and other streets in central Monrovia for $LRD 100 for a piece of it.
In another testimony, another user said, “Prof, really the Kush gets bad spirits; when you smoke the grass, it makes you meditate, but the Kush can make you almost crazy; sometimes if you don’t have a strong system, you can get crazy, and it has happened to some of our men here now; they are crazy in the street”.
“It na treat me like that; the people got to waste water on me because I was not to myself. After I came to myself, people told me I was shamed because they said I was vibrating and acting confused,” she explained.
“Kush” is one of the popular substances (drugs) that arrived in Liberia late in 2020 to 2021; at a similar time, it arrived in Sierra Leone, but it was scarce on the drug market in Liberia. It’s a substance rolled up and smoked like a cigarette, but it’s not the same as marijuana.
Though it is quite different from marijuana in terms of size, shape, and form, Kush is known for its intense sedative effects on its users. It is famously known as “K2”, but it has other street names like Bliss, Blaze, Fake Weed, etc.
Like many other illicit drugs, research has shown that Kush can lead to Blood pressure changes (blood pressure may go both up and down and may change suddenly at different phases of the drug’s active period), Dizziness, Drowsiness, Extreme fatigue, Facial flushing, red, irritated-looking eyes (may happen with or without any discomfort), and short-term impairment of memory and cognition (possible long-term impairment is being explored).
It is established that in pregnancy, it may also be associated with premature births and babies born underweight or needing additional medical assistance. As the substance remains a serious threat to the country, those involved with the sale described it as their only source of income.
A dealer in central Monrovia who we spoke with but preferred being off record said they are cognizant of how bad the substance is, but just as he’s addicted to it, his customers have also gotten addicted to it, and as such, he can’t renege on making it available for them. Just like other legal businesses, he sees it as a profitable business, and it shows that his service is still important to those that are interested in it.
According to part ||, count 11 of the current drug law, it provides that “Any person who, without lawful authority, (a) imports, manufactures, produces, processes, plants, or grows the drugs commonly known as cocaine, LSD, heroin, or any other similar drugs shall be guilty of an offense and liable on conviction to be sentenced to imprisonment for life; or
(b) Whoever exports, transports, or otherwise traffics in the drugs popularly known as cocaine, LSD, heroin, or any other similar drugs shall be guilty of an offense and liable on conviction to be sentenced to imprisonment for life”.
It further states that “any person who sells, buys, exposes, offers for sale, or otherwise deals in or with the drugs popularly known as cocaine, LSD, heroin, or any other similar drugs shall be guilty of an offense and liable on conviction to be sentenced to imprisonment for life; or
Whoever knowingly possesses or uses the drugs popularly known as cocaine, LSD, heroin, or any other similar drugs by smoking, inhaling, or injecting the said drugs shall be guilty of an offense and liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not less than fifteen years but not exceeding 25 years”.
As a result of mounting pressure from concerned Liberians and INGOs about stronger drug laws, the
The plenary of the Liberian Senate on Thursday, November 10, 2022, passed into law the ‘Controlled Drug and Substances Act of 2014’’.
Taking the decision, the Senate categorized drug crime into two categories, making it non-bailable and bailable depending on the gravity of the crime.
In the wisdom of the Senate, those who are involved in the importation, distribution, massive production, and custody of illicit drugs shall not be granted the right to bail when caught in the act, while the end users of the drug shall have the right to bail when apprehended in the act.
The bill is currently on the President’s desk, awaiting his signature to become law.
Recently, Bomi County Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe emphasized the need for drugs to be declared a national emergency in Liberia, considering their rapid proliferation and dreadful effect on the lives of young Liberians.
Senator Snowe, while elaborating in dismay during a radio interview early Tuesday, June 6, 2023, expressed disappointment in the situation and alluded to the fact that the matter is of the essence and there’s absolutely no room for delay.
“I believe that by now we should have a national emergency; we should declare drugs a national emergency; it’s bad”, he articulated. According to the Senator, drug abuse and teenage pregnancy should be declared national emergencies in Liberia, considering their terrible effects on the lives of thousands of Liberians, especially the younger folks.
“We are losing a whole generation; most of our young people are on drugs, and they are saying a piece of it (kush) is being sold for 100 Liberian dollars”. The Bomi County Senator believes the issue of drugs (kush, etc.) in Liberia is very serious, and if it is not appropriately tackled, the nation might regret the aftermath.
He empathized with Liberians who have expressed disappointment about the rapid spread of drugs across the country and their effects. “When I hear the citizens express their frustration with this major drug that’s in our country, you can’t help but agree with them because the thing is troubling”, he said.
