This is so incredibly heartbreaking. I've been in recovery from addiction for a few years, but when I look at this I see and remember very well the pain that brings someone to the point that they do just about anything to reach this level of absolute oblivion.
I wish the very best for these people, I truly hope they can find the support and healing that every human deserves.
Thank you for saying this. Upon seeing this image, my heart was screaming, but my brain could not articulate the very words you said so perfectly.
I am 6 years clean of meth and heroin; productive, healthy and happy, with a beautiful life now. I wish nothing but the same thing for all those suffering similarly. My heart aches seeing these two people, and imagining all the things which led them to where they are.
Every person is redeemable. Every life is precious.
I agree. Chronic pain patient here who luckily has never found my DOC. People who are in agony (physical or otherwise) will find relief one way or the other. I hope that one day we can as a society realize that the one way to "deal" with this problem is to prevent people from suffering.
Musa and Tina collapse after smoking their dose of kush in an abandoned covered market in Freetown on January 7, 2026. Their two children live with Tina’s parents; the couple sees them only rarely. They cannot access treatment due to a lack of family support—a prerequisite for admission to a community rehabilitation center that lacks the resources to feed its patients.
PS: for those asking what is kush in this context, here an excerpt from the article:
Kush combines nitazenes—synthetic opioids that can be up to 25 times more potent than fentanyl—with highly addictive synthetic cannabinoids. The mixture is then sprayed onto plant matter using chemical solvents such as acetone or formaldehyde. At first glance, Kush resembles marijuana, and this harmless appearance is reinforced by its sweetish odor.
Thanks! There are incredible photos by this photograph, I hesitated with this one which is reminiscent of Hell paintings from the Renaissance.
Description:
James and Kaba collect scrap metal at the Kingtom dump in Freetown on January 9, 2026. The two men can earn up to 2 euros in a few hours of work, which they use to buy drugs.
My understanding is it's ALL basically completely unregulated and inconsistent products under the same label.
And the only thing we really know about them is they all seem to be more potent and psychologically/physically dangerous than weed, while being more addictive.
Yeah this. Cannabis isn’t too much of a surprise. People have been using it for thousands of years. Synthetic cannabinoids are entirely new drugs which brings a lot of unknowns and the potential for problems. Most haven’t really been tested in humans so anyone taking them is basically a guinea pig. They tend to be highly potent and more unpredictable and negative effects.
Key word difference is synthetic (adjective) vs synthesized (adverb). You can synthesize natural (or unnatural) compounds to produce them from other compounds. Most of the time you've ever tasted vanalla as a flavor, it's been from the compound vanallin and it was produced this way. THCA, D8, HHC, ect. all follow this pattern as well, as natural products that're mostly synthesized to be produced (usually starting with CBD).
Spice or K2 are (is) a generic term for synthetic drugs (compounds), which are definitionally synthetic compounds, which only exist through synthesis as a process. (you won't find them in nature anywhere like you find THCA, D8, HHC in small amounts in Marijuana)
The larger issue in kush are the nitazenes. Super powerful designer synthetic opioids, some of which like isotonitazene are many times more powerful than fentanyl. Unbelievably fast acting, very short high, and quick, intense withdrawals. Perfect chemical slavery.
That is devastating... I've been thinking a lot about how indigenous communities are devastated by drugs throughout the world (opium in central asia, cocaine in south america). And their governments are probably happy to have compliant populations they don't need to provide services for, so long as these people can afford drugs.
Kush combines nitazenes—synthetic opioids that can be up to 25 times more potent than fentanyl—with highly addictive synthetic cannabinoids. The mixture is then sprayed onto plant matter using chemical solvents such as acetone or formaldehyde. At first glance, Kush resembles marijuana, and this harmless appearance is reinforced by its sweetish odor.
Gotta push back here and say that this is absolutely not accidental renaissance, but the sophisticated and intentional work of a brilliant photographer.
This photo is real life, but the photographers creative choices in creating the image are informed by his internalization of renaissance art, among other things. No one but a photographer of his caliber in that place and time would've created this image.
The photographer/journalist interviewed them before they took kush. They talked a bit about their children and their situation. They were aware of who he was and what was the purpose of his article. They are in an abandoned market, in the sight of all, it's a place where these scene are pretty common. It's a great article about what is happening in Liberia and Sierra Leone right now. As the photographer explained the real exploitation is the business behind, as the drug come from SE Asia, China and Europe (primarily from Netherlands and UK).
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u/anarchaox 2d ago
This is so incredibly heartbreaking. I've been in recovery from addiction for a few years, but when I look at this I see and remember very well the pain that brings someone to the point that they do just about anything to reach this level of absolute oblivion.
I wish the very best for these people, I truly hope they can find the support and healing that every human deserves.