The alarming increase in the number of teen heroin users in the coast region

Recent research has found that heroin users on Kenya’s East Coast are getting younger, and worrying trend is an issue of huge national concern. According to Fatma Jeneby, who runs a harm reduction programme called the Muslim Education and Welfare Association (or MEWA) in Malindi; “We’ve seen there is a total change in trend of heroin users, at the age of 15 to 24 years, so this is very alarming to us, because if we are getting drug users at the age of 15 years, meaning that at the age of 10 years, they’ve already started using other drugs so heroin is just a progression of whatever has been there before. ”
Marijuana’s Role as a ‘Gateway’ Drug
As alluded to by Fatma, heroin use in Kenya is largely preceded by use of other ‘soft’ drugs, most commonly marijuana (locally known as bhang). In April it was officially announced that Kenya would not follow the example set in other countries (most notably the United States) by legalising the use of Marijuana for medical purposes.

 NACADA Chief Executive Officer William Okedi made the announcement, saying that “although some states in the US, have approved the use of marijuana for medical reasons, research still indicates that it has negative impact on those who consume it.”