Government Shuts Down Drug Rehabilitation Centres for Kush Victims Over Lack of Money

All government-run drug rehabilitation centres in Sierra Leone have been shut down due to a lack of money, halting critical treatment for thousands of citizens addicted to the synthetic drug kush.

The facilities in Hastings and Gondama were emptied and closed after the last group of patients was discharged in July 2025. A planned centre in Daru has also failed to open. The Ministry of Social Welfare confirmed there are currently no financial resources from the government or partners to sustain rehabilitation services.

This closure leaves a dangerous gap in the nation’s response to a declared public health emergency. In early 2024, President Julius Maada Bio declared a national emergency on drug and substance abuse to mobilize resources. However, the government has since been unable to fund the very services deemed essential to that emergency response.

“Young people are vulnerable, and they are out there perishing. Rehabilitation plays a key role,” said Ansumana Konneh, Director of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services at the Ministry of Social Welfare, in an interview with Truth Media.

The shutdown has had fatal consequences in the past. During a previous closure from September 2024 to February 2025, several individuals on waiting lists died before they could be admitted for treatment.

According to Ministry data, only 400 people have received rehabilitation since the president’s emergency declaration, despite over 5,000 people urgently needing treatment. The Ministry’s current model requires funding to admit a full batch of 50 patients at a time, a policy that has created dangerous delays and insufficient coverage.

While the Chairman of the National Task Force on Drug and Substance Abuse has committed funds to admit 40 young people at the Daru centre, all other facilities remain unfunded and inactive. The continued interruption of services leaves families to manage severe medical and psychological needs without formal support, exacerbating the social and economic toll of the ongoing kush epidemic.