Health expert cautions against new drug made with decomposing human bones in Nigeria, Sierra Leone

Now, a new trend of drug mixing and abuse has emerged in Sierra Leone and spread to some parts of Nigeria. Drugs mixed with decomposing human bones - infamously called "kush.”

Nigerian medical professional and health influencer, Dr Olusina Ajidahun, when describing the new drug mix said, “This drug, even though it is called 'kush', is different from the street kush. For now, the big market is in Sierra Leone, even though it has infiltrated some parts of Nigeria, but I cannot really say for some other countries. The components of the kush ... are a mixture of tramadol, fentanyl, and cannabis, and what they do is exhume human corpses, especially the bones; they dry them, grind them into powder, mix them, and smoke.”

Speaking on the health implications of the new mixture on users, Dr Ajidahun said, “Bones are rich in sulphur, which can release some toxic gases, many of which can damage the lungs, brain, and many important organs in the body.  It is not uncommon to say that people who take things like this usually come down with issues like liver problems, kidney problems, and brain problems," he told Global South World.

For a while in Ghana, tramadol abuse ravaged the country’s youth populace. The country’s drug regulatory body was faced with the daunting task of ensuring an end to the abuse of the drug, which was alleged at the time to be smuggled into the country, local media GhanaWeb reported.

In 2019 in Nigeria, there had been an increase in the prevalence of unconventional mixtures, such as combining cough syrup with tramadol. Additionally, some young adults were resorting to primitive concoctions as substitutes, which involved the use of unconventional substances like smoking lizard parts and dung, as well as inhaling glue, petrol, sewage, and urine. This alarming trend includes the illicit distribution and blending of codeine-based cough syrups for drug users, Quartz reported.

In a more disturbing development, the increasing use of scorpions for recreational purposes ravaged parts of South Asia. The resulting "high" is reported to be exceptionally potent, surpassing even the effects of heroin and lasting anywhere from 10 hours to 3 days. However, individuals engaging in this practice often endure the initial six hours in considerable pain as their bodies acclimate to the toxins, posing a potential risk of fatal consequences. 

In the United States, the Council on Foreign Relations reported in 2023 that the country was grappling with its most severe drug crisis, largely fuelled by fentanyl and other opioids, resulting in over 1,500 American deaths per week.

Watch the interview with Dr Olusina Ajidahun below.