NACADA Reports 90% Increase in Consumption and Raises Alarms About Rise in Bhang Use

• A crackdown on bhang dens has been prompted by NACADA’s alarm about a 90% increase in bhang usage over the previous five years, with nearly a million Kenyans consuming the substance.
• Concerning findings from NACADA’s survey show that cannabis use is common among young people in Kenya.

Concern has been expressed by NACADA, the National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse, regarding the nation’s growing bhang usage.

Addressing on Saturday during a nighttime raid on Bhang dens in Mtwapa, Kilifi County, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NACADA Dr Anthony Omerikwa expressed sadness over the drug’s 90% increase in consumption over the previous five years, which he said has become a serious worry.

“According to 2022 research, the number of Kenyans using cannabis sativa has increased by 90% in the last five years, meaning that one in every 53 people in the nation uses this substance, or about a million people” Said Dr. Omerikwa.

During the NACADA-led operation at a private home in Mtwapa that the police suspect is used as a bhang depot, two people were taken into custody.

Following a public tip, NACADA police searched the three-bedroom home where the massive cargo was being hidden and packaged for distribution throughout the coastal area.

This is the second operation of a similar nature that was carried out last month, during which the proprietors of several illicit shisha dens were prosecuted and their establishments shut down.

We now know that these medications are, in fact, transferred from Migori. We are going to obtain the leads regarding the person who transports it soon.

The CEO of NACADA declared, “We have started the investigations and we will soon apprehend the suppliers.”

To apprehend the major drug lords, the agency has stepped up its crackdown on drugs of all kinds in the coastal area. For many years, youths living along the seaside have suffered from heroin and other drug use.

“We will pursue these individuals to ensure that this menace is addressed,” stated Omerikwa, who also mentioned that parents and politicians should collaborate to end the plague. “The government’s stand on drugs is that the use of illegal drugs is not allowed.”

Omerikwa went on to say that NACADA will not back down in its fight against drug use and addiction.

518,807 Kenyans between the ages of 15 and 65 are known to use cannabis, according to data from a NACADA survey. This translates to a countrywide prevalence rate of 1.9%.

According to the “Status of Drugs and Substance Use (DSU) in Kenya, 2022” report, 475,770 of these individuals are men and 43,037 are women.

It revealed that 193,430 young people between the ages of 15 and 24 (or one in every 37) were cannabis users as of right now, equivalent to a prevalence of 2.7%.

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The number of individuals in the 25–35 age group is 174,142, or one in every 48, which translates to a prevalence rate of 2.1%.

According to the findings, one in 111 Kenyans between the ages of 15 and 65, or 234,855 people, suffer from severe substance use problems and are addicted to cannabis.

There are 90,531 (or one in 77) cannabis addicts in the 15–24 age group, and 100,468 (or one in 83) in the 25–35 age group. These numbers translate to an overall addiction rate of 47.4%.