Most people are aware of the top 5 most dangerous drugs; namely: Nicotine, Alcohol, Opioid- an extremely addictive drug, Heroin and Cocaine. International data bases show that drug and substance abuse is a worldwide mental catastrophe.
The use of these substances causes its users to suffer significant detrimental effects. Among the drugs and substance available, Alcohol is still the most commonly used. According to the World
Drug Report 2023, drug use continues to be high worldwide. In 2021, people aged 15-64 represented 1 in every 17 in the world that used a drug in the past 12 months.
Because most references and comparisons are drawn from U.S. Databases, which are the most prominent, many of these references are used as major reference points. However, it’s important to use several data searches to have substantial referenced surveys to support your findings.
Main reasons cited for drug and substance use are many. Top on the list are unemployment, poverty, mental illness, curiosity and experimentation. Depending on your source, substance abuse in Kenya has become rampant. Unfortunately, there is also an increase in crimes and domestic violence.
The good news is that the government is very proactive in steps on prevention, interventions, and health education policies.
At present, the U.S. has the highest drug overdoses in the world. According to CNN, the drug overdose rate has more than doubled in the rate of premature deaths, than the rate of 12 other countries.
So what does all this have to do with our drug problems in Kenya? Well, to keep it simple; there is “A NEW DRUG” on the block. It’s called Fentanyl. This is part of the current trends in drugs and substance awareness worldwide.
In Kenya, there are no reported or recorded findings on Fentanyl use to date. I’m not sure if this s a good thing or not. This is simply because of the subtle and deadly behavior of this drug. The drug cartels are beginning to blend this drug into other ordinary painkillers, and other drugs like heroin and cocaine.
The most dangerous thing is that fentanyl is odorless and tasteless. A person may not even know he has taken it. And the risk of accidental overdose is very high. Fentanyl is 20-40 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine.
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There is a major risk of overdose when fentanyl is used with alcohol, benzodiazepines and other opioids like heroin. Fentanyl is a highly potent synthetic piperidone opioid primarily used an analgesic.
Because it is so easy to manufacture, it is easy to be shipped around the world. The sole purpose of sharing this information is my concern for our young people. While there is no deaths from fentanyl recorded in Kenya to date, my concern is that awareness is paramount to saving the lives of so many young people before they get trapped into this substance use disorder.
It is so easy for a physical dependence and substance use disorder to develop quickly, within a few weeks of regular use.
Many people are dying from this drug because they do not know what they are taking. Like any abuse, the consumption of fentanyl can be fatal. All it takes if “just one pill.”
If you suspect that someone has suffered on overdose on drugs call the NACADA Helpline (1192).
The writer is a professional counselling psychologist, certified health educator. She holds talks in schools and churches.
By Doris Foxworth Odito
She can be reached at
0722-617404
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