this post was submitted on 07 Apr 2024
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Sierra Leone's president has declared a national emergency over rampant drug abuse.

Kush, a psychoactive blend of addictive substances, has been prevalent in the country for years.

President Julius Maada Bio called the drug a "death trap" and said it posed an "existential crisis".

One of the drug's many ingredients is human bones - security has been tightened in cemeteries to stop addicts digging up skeletons from graves.

Groups of mostly young men sitting on street corners with limbs swollen by kush abuse is a common sight in Sierra Leone.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago (1 children)

One of the drug's main ingredients is human bones

Do you want prions? Because that's how you get prions.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Not much danger there, actually. Prions are primarily gained from eating the central nervous system.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago

At least for existing known infections. No reason it couldn't happen to another protein and cause something like muscular dystrophy.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago

That's how you get a fancy new prion disease...

[–] [email protected] 23 points 8 months ago

Good. Advocates have been sounding the warning for a long time now.

With or without the alleged "human bones" that stuff is a scourge.

[–] [email protected] 77 points 8 months ago (3 children)

https://theconversation.com/kush-what-is-this-dangerous-new-west-african-drug-that-supposedly-contains-human-bones-220608

Kush in Sierra Leone is quite different; it is a mixture of cannabis, fentanyl, tramadol, formaldehyde and – according to some – ground down humans bones.

Holy shit.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Sounds a lot like propaganda to keep people away from it.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Yeah.. that’s insane. I recently had surgery and was administered a small dose of fentanyl via IV while being held in post-op, I was also prescribed tramadol for pain management afterwards. Both drugs turned me into a zombie on their own. I can’t imagine mixing both, and also layering on weed, as a recreational substance.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

If there are both, you won't feel the tramadol. When the ratio is high enough, it will make it suck less when the Fentanyl wears off and give it longer action though. It's kind of like saying they smoked meth with cocaine sprinkled on top. The meth is doing the heavy lifting.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I've had fentanyl post-op once and that shit works. Made it easy to understand how it could cause an addiction crisis.

Tramadol, on the other hand, does almost nothing in my experience. Doesn't cause the high and doesn't help with pain.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Perhaps I’m more sensitive to tramadol, because for me it does slightly dull pain, but also makes me profoundly drowsy and itchy. I took it for one day after being prescribed and decided that tylenol was a better option.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

That sounds unpleasant. Does sound like you're probably sensitive to it in some way.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 8 months ago

The formaldehyde gives it that extra bang you can only get from embalming fluid. If they didn't cut it with human bone it might be too potent /s