Kush and the Cost of Inaction

By Pa Baimba Sesay

Sierra Leone is faced with a silent epidemic that is destroying lives and threatening the very foundation of our future: our young people. This epidemic is the Kush crisis, a cheap drug destroying our youth with deadly consequences. Once rare and confined to atleast street corners, Kush has now become widespread and easily accessible. It has grown into a full-blown public health crisis. There is no denial about this!

Across neighborhoods, young people cluster on pavements, their maggot-eaten feet wrapped in cloths to cover open wounds, a haunting image of the complexities of lives, trapped in a toxic daze, and their futures slipping away. This heartbreaking reality is a stark reminder of systemic failure; a failure by the authorities to act early and decisively so. Apparently, a scar on the heart of those who should act. A scar on our conscience especially when they know the source but tend to not see. About all a charade to youth empowerment.

Kush is not just a Freetown problem, it has become a national phenomenon with the capital being undeniably its epicenter, sadly, it low cost and easy accessibility make it an especially dangerous enticement for vulnerable young, and poor people.

As a citizen, I am deeply troubled to learn that Freetown City Council data shows over 142 Kush-related burials have already taken place since the start of the year. Even more alarming is the report that over 150 unidentified corpses suspected to be Kush victims have been buried by the Western Area Rural District Council, according to Liberty Online TV, citing statistics from the Council. Taken together, the Western Area alone accounts for nearly 300 burials since the start of this year to date. Hypothetically, let’s say, each district has experienced at least 100 similar deaths, the national toll could well exceed 1,000 fatalities. If this does not constitute a national crisis, one must ask: what else could possibly qualify?

If we fail to confront this crisis with urgency and firm resolve, it will not only continue to tarnish our international image but also undermine the much-touted human capital development agenda (if indeed it was ever taken seriously) and leave a deep and painful scar on our collective conscience.

The string of recent troubling incidents is indeed deeply concerning. Let’s take stock: the unscheduled landing of a small aircraft earlier this year, the sighting of a submarine off Black Johnson Beach, and the seizure of a large quantity of cocaine in a vehicle registered to our Embassy in Guinea. That last diplomatic embarrassment leading to the recall of an envoy was the straw that broke the camel’s back given the international disgrace it came with. And left with us! And the Foreign Ministry was left with the painful task of doing a cleanup. How painful I can imagine given my experience in diplomacy.

As if that were not enough, we were confronted with yet another suspicious development. On July 22, 2025, the yacht Agios Basseterre landed at Beach One in Hamilton with three Filipino crew members on board. Yet, just as with previous incidents, the Sierra Leone Police once again sought to ‘assure’ the public though in an entirely unconvincing manner, that there was nothing of police/security concern aboard the vessel. While authorities continue to, in my opinion, downplay these events, the circumstances surrounding the yacht’s arrival remained till date, highly questionable.

Taken together, these recurring anomalies fuel public anxiety, deepen mistrust in official narratives, and suggest the erosion of accountability. These are, without doubt, deeply disturbing trends. But setting aside what some may dismiss as a blame game, let me attempt to offer a few insights on how we might begin to address this crisis.

1. To effectively tackle the menace of Kush and other drug-related challenges, we need a well coordinated, multi-level response that includes local governance structures. A national task force comprising credible and respected individuals should be established to develop a comprehensive roadmap for addressing this crisis.
2. Key ministries such as Youth Affairs, Social Welfare, and Health must take the lead in developing inclusive, cross-sectoral strategies. The Ministry of Information and Civic Education should continue driving public awareness and education; an area where it has been performing effectively, while schools must be actively engaged as critical partners in prevention and early detection mechanisms.
3. Faith-based and community-led interventions will be essential in offering counseling, mentorship, and, above all, hope. But this hope must be transformed into reality by ensuring the court system act tough in handling drug-related cases to reinforce accountability and deterrence.
4. Law enforcement must go beyond street-level arrests and focus on dismantling the supply chains that fuel this crisis. The sources of these drugs must be identified, disrupted, and shut down. Sacred cows must be chased.

In the end, the Kush crisis is not merely about drugs, it is about the soul and conscience of our nation. Every life lost, every young person wasted, is a reminder that we are not doing enough. Let’s demonstrate courage, coordination, and compassion from leaders, institutions, communities, and citizens alike. Ultimately, it becomes more than just a policy issue; but a societal crisis that requires a united, all-of-society response. Our conscience may be on pause, understandably but it’s time for us to act.