Abdul Conteh, a former school pupil now carves for medical care and an opportunity to return to school after he was lured into smoking kush which eventually made him and his friend who introduced him to the substance drop out of school.
In Sierra Leone today, drug abuse seems to be at an alarming rate, for recent statistics have shown that from the year 2020 to 2022, the number of patients who reported at the psychiatric hospital in Kissy due to kush increased by more than 2000% which made up of 70% of all patients at the facility.
At age sixteen (16), Conteh was lured into smoking kush by a friend, in Freetown. Conteh made this disclosure at a substance abuse sensitization at Sea Side and Moa Wharf communities. The sensitization was organized by Freetown Terminal Sierra Leone, on Saturday 3rd of February 2024 as part of its corporate social responsibility.
According to Conteh, he was left with no option, but to abandon a house that his late mother left behind because his uncle who forcefully inherited the house following his mother’s demise could not cater for him.
The sixteen-year-old reveals that he has no fixed abode, but is roaming on the Sea Side. “I smoke at least three wraps of kush per day, costing me at least 15NL,” he revealed. Conteh added that while he lived in the street, he would steal whatever he could lay his hands on just to purchase kush.
However, Conteh has regretted smoking kush, for he now feels that something is medically wrong with him. He now craves medical support and an opportunity to return to school.
Similarly, seventeen-year-old Joselyn Macauley was also introduced to smoking kush by a friend at the Prince of Wales School, Kingtom, in Freetown. Macauley is now addicted to smoking kush and finds it difficult to quit.
Like Conteh, Macauley was also lured into smoking kush by a friend, named Carew, who has also dropped out of school. According to Macauley, his father has tried in vain to get him out of this addiction.
He revealed that he had been placed under false imprisonment by his father. When he thought that he would quit during this period of false imprisonment, a friend, Foday Buckle who used to buy him food, suggested that he use part of the money which his dad used to provide in the morning for breakfast to buy kush.
Both Conteh and Macauley have expressed a desire to build a meaningful career and contribute to the development of the country.
Unlike Conteh and Macauley, Sia Gbenbo said she became a commercial sex worker when she became addicted to kush. “When I realized that I hadn’t the money required to smoke kush, I resorted to venturing into prostitution. Gbenbo also craves medical care and an opportunity to go into trading.
On the side of the government, the Ministry of Social Welfare has disclosed that plans are underway to establish a rehabilitation center in Freetown for people who are repentant of drug abuse.
Head of Communications at the Freetown Terminal, Gassimu Fofana remarked that drug abuse is a big problem in Sierra Leone, noting that most of the young people in the two targeted communities have hooked up to drug abuse, hence, the need to sensitize them on the dangers of drug abuse, and have their lives transformed.
Fofana feels that the sensitization is on track, noting that the facilitators of the sensitization drive are professionals, such as councillors, therapists, etc. He revealed that there are plans to do a follow-up on those who have demonstrated a strong desire to quit smoking kush.
“Over the past three years, we have embarked on this sensitization drive, and people have come forward and given testimonies on how the drive transformed their lives. So, I feel very strongly that this sensitization drive has had a huge impact in the Sea Side and Moa Wharf Communities,” he disclosed.
Fofana further revealed that Freetown Terminal has plans to sustain the sensitization program.
