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Lessons from the Opioid Pandemic in the U.S.: A Warning for Kenya
  • November 5, 2024
  • Comments: 46
  • Posted by: cbtkeadmin

This piece presents a vivid and alarming portrayal of the opioid crisis in the U.S., drawing a parallel to potential issues that could arise in Kenya.

During my recent visit to the US, I was struck by the dark side of cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles, where drug use and homelessness are rampant. On the streets, I witnessed people emerging from makeshift shelters, openly smoking or injecting drugs, and talking to themselves,

I could not help but notice pavements along a police station in Los Angeles barricaded with large stones and spikes in an attempt to prevent them from sitting in front of the police station as police helplessly watched them ingesting drugs. A pattern that is similarly emerging in rural neighborhoods in the United States. The numbers are harrowing. From 1999 to 2021, overdose deaths involving opioids skyrocketed, reaching 80,411 in 2021. This epidemic has become an unmanageable nightmare, with fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid, fueling much of the death toll.

As I saw firsthand, the U.S. is struggling to support those affected by addiction. In our situation, while not yet at the levels seen in the U.S., presents troubling signs. One of my greatest fears looms ever closer: our cities may soon witness an influx of people with acute psychotic breakdowns due to alcohol, drugs, and other health complications.

Alcohol remains the most abused substance in Kenya, with 3.2 million people suffering from alcohol use disorders, according to the National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA). One in every 26 males aged 15 – 65 years (475,770) and 1 in every 333 females (43,037) were currently using cannabis. The number of people currently using cannabis has increased by 90 per cent in the last 5 years.

But more worrying is the rise in heroin and synthetic drug use. Coastal regions, particularly Mombasa, have seen heroin use rates as high as 18.1% in some communities, with many users turning to injection drugs, leading to increased HIV/AIDS transmission. Programs like Medically Assisted Therapy (MAT) are attempting to address this issue, but resources are limited, and demand is growing. A 2020 study found that 43% of street children were involved in substance use, which is contributing to severe mental health problems. Both public and private mental health institutions report that a high percentage of their admissions are related to alcohol or drug-induced psychosis. Kenya’s strategic location along drug trafficking routes puts it at risk of synthetic opioids like fentanyl overdose deaths and mental health crises similar to the U.S. opioid epidemic.

Despite having a National Action Plan on Alcohol and Drug Abuse launched in 2021 to enhance treatment and rehabilitation services, there is a gap of insufficient funding and coordination between public and private health initiatives and local mental health services. The rise of synthetic drugs like methamphetamine and fentanyl could overwhelm an already fragile mental health system. As mentioned in my previous articles, our mental health services are stretched thin, resources are inadequate to manage the increasing number of people suffering from substance use disorders, and rising cases of psychosis due to alcohol and drug abuse are pushing the system to the brink.

Indeed! The U.S. experience offers a stark warning: without early intervention, Kenya could witness similar scenes of widespread addiction, homelessness, and public health disasters.

There is still time to avert a full-blown crisis, and the time to act is now.

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Author: cbtkeadmin

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