A new drug made from human bones has taken over West Africa.

What kind of unusual substances do people use to destroy their minds and bodies? We have already written about smokers of dried scorpions from Pakistan, and now it’s time to talk about an even more creepy and dangerous potion. A new drug called kush has emerged in West Africa. It destroys the personality and the body in record time, and is based on powder from human bones.

The authorities in Sierra Leone have declared a state of emergency due to the drug addiction epidemic. A killer new drug, kush, containing synthetic cannabinoids and human bones, is sweeping the country. The situation is little better in Liberia and Guinea, which, however, will soon catch up with their neighbor.

People who use kush can be found at every turn in the capital of Sierra Leone, Freetown. They look like zombies - they hobble aimlessly with their arms hanging like whips, or wander in circles with their heads tilted to the side. They are unkempt and smell bad, and their hands and feet often rot due to infections.

Kush is a relatively new drug. It appeared in Sierra Leone just 4 years ago. Journalist Tyson Conte says the secret to the popularity of the new potion is its cheapness:

In fact, kush can be considered the cheapest drug on the planet. One dose in a cigarette costs only 5 leones, or 2 Russian kopecks. True, the jackpot quickly becomes addictive and many experienced drug addicts need up to 40 doses a day. However, even this impressive amount is affordable for many in this poor country.

But it’s not just the poor who use kush. This dangerous substance has captured all segments of the population. Even wealthy residents of the country use it. There are no official statistics on the number of deaths from jackpot. But it is known that over the past year, 63 percent of new patients at the only psychiatric clinic in Sierra Leone ended up there precisely because of the jackpot.

Cases of complete recovery from addiction have not yet been recorded. They are trying to treat those obsessed with kush in a special center in Freetown. It was created on the basis of an army training center. For now, people who end up there are simply kept in isolation. Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio made a televised address to the nation. He said the jackpot had become an existential threat to the country. The number of deaths among drug users is growing rapidly.

Kush puts people into a kind of trance. They fall out of reality, but do not sleep, but continue to move. However, many drug addicts do not control themselves. They are capable of harming both themselves and others. A BBC News documentary about the jackpot shows the moment one of the men, in a drug-induced haze, tries to cut his own throat.

Due to the drug addiction epidemic, crime is rising in an already troubled country. Many addicts need a new dose every hour. Therefore, they are constantly looking for where to get money. Some of them rummage through trash heaps, looking for things they can sell. But there are also those who are capable of theft, robbery and even murder.

No one knows the exact recipe for kush. It is quite possible that it does not exist and the composition is changing all the time. The drug contains chemicals and plant components that produce effects similar to those caused by the naturally occurring tetrahydrocannabinol found in marijuana.

Many call the basis of kush synthetic cannabinoids, known in our country as spice. It is also believed that the drug also contains fentanyl and tramadol. These are opioids that are imported into West Africa from China. To dilute the kush to the desired consistency, use acetone or formaldehyde. The latter substance is used when embalming the dead. Even in its pure form it can cause hallucinations.

But the most unusual ingredient in kush is human bones. Doctor Jusu Mattia is sure that bones are needed because of the sulfur they contain. People also believe that if the deceased used kush during his lifetime, then his remains are saturated with the drug and the drug becomes more effective. Scientists who have studied the kush phenomenon are skeptical about these two hypotheses. However, grave robbing has long been commonplace in Freetown.

In August 2023, a local newspaper published news of the arrest of four grave robbers. And this year, the Freetown authorities had to strengthen the security of cemeteries, as the number of acts of vandalism already numbered in the hundreds. In African countries, where the jackpot has not yet reached, they are seriously concerned about the problem. No one is monitoring drug smuggling and it may well become the scourge of an entire continent.