WHAT YOUR CHILD COULD BE TAKING

ANALYSIS

Nairobi

They come in all forms and are distributed on the basis of financial
wherewithal and experience in substance taking. For, depending on whether
one is an amateur or hard-core substance taker; or depending on whether one
is financially well endowed or not, the peddlers would persuade an
individual into either purchasing the expensive, highly commercial hard
drugs or to simply partake of what is ordinarily easily available on the
market. Either way, most school children are first taught how to smoke
cigarettes and drink alcohol, but with time they graduate to such hard
substances as Miraa, bhang, brown sugar, also known as Kichuri, heroine,
valium, coccaine, Kuber and many other addictive pharmaceutical tablets that
are today sold over the counter.

Besides, the very expensive drugs such as valium, cocaine and heroine are
mostly used by children from the economically stable families who can afford
them, while the cheap alcoholic drugs today being sold in small sachets are
the easy targets for those from poor families. The trend and the divide in
consumption is the same be it in Mombasa, Nairobi, Kisumu or Nakuru.

There are those who accuse the authorities of abetting the sale of Kuber, a
powdered concoction from India that has a pungent smell. It is normally
placed under the tongue and chewed for several hours - it excites the
nervous system thus giving a scintillating sensation. Because it is normally
packed in small, affordable sachets, it is now accessible to many school
going children. Sources say that this drug has become popular with Jamhuri
High School students who easily access it from the many kiosks near Stima
Plaza.

Other than Kuber, the other easily accessible drugs - sold in small tablets
- - include Roche 5, Roche 10 and D5. But the tablet Valium, which is also
known by its generic name Diazepam, can be taken either orally or
intravenously, though most students merely swallow the tablets. Because it
can be bought over the counter, many of those who can afford are able to
access it.

The tablet is not very different from the Roche5 and 10, and they are
manufactured by the same company that also manufactures Valium and D5. To
some of its users, Valium merely treats anxiety, relaxes muscles and also
treats convulsive disorders such as epilepsy, the immediate problem being
that it is very addictive. Students who use it experience drowsiness,
fatigue, loss of muscle co-ordination, confusion, hallucinations, nausea and
sleep disturbances, but an overdose can kill.

The other drug that has grievous side effects is Brown Sugar (Kichuri),
understood to be from the residues of heroine. A student who takes Kichuri
develops a water phobia and could stay fro days without bathing. It also
affects speech and leads to a state of delirium. A student who is currently
recovering from Kichuri drug abuse in a Nairobi rehabilitation centre, says
that his parents discovered he was onto something odious when they found out
that he was not showering and was becoming noticeably dirty, less alert and
disorganised. The student says the withdrawal symptoms are very painful.
"I'll occasionally have painful headaches, which can go on for several
hours."

The problem is made worse in Mombasa due to the easy availability of other
additional drugs like Hashish, White crest and Tap Tap, which is normally
taken in the form of white tablets. Some of the drugs are sold to children
as young as 12 years.