NACADA Lists 4 Drugs Behind Viral Video Of Youth Sleeping While Standing
The multi-agency fact-finding mission was meant to establish the substances consumed by those depicted in the videos
Marvin Chege 
The National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) has released its findings of an investigation conducted following disturbing videos that emerged online of youth sleeping while standing after suspected drug abuse in July.
NACADA Acting CEO John Muteti in a press statement seen by Viral Tea indicated that the multi-agency fact-finding mission was meant to establish the substances consumed by those depicted in the videos- some of whom we positively identified as active drug users in the region.
The Authority revealed that the findings from the two-week exercise, which was initiated and overseen together with its partners, who comprise Community-Based Organizations (CSOs), Government and non-government Agencies and members of the public, saw 20 samples in various forms collected in three counties of the Coast region.
Photo of John Muteti, NACADA's acting Chief Executive Officer. /NACADA
The samples were thereafter handed over to the government chemist for analysis and identification and the findings ruled out any reported case of Fentanyl in Kenya as of now.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. It is a major contributor to fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the United States (US), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
There are two types of fentanyl: pharmaceutical fentanyl and illegally made fentanyl. Both are considered synthetic opioids. Pharmaceutical fentanyl is prescribed by doctors to treat severe pain, especially after surgery and for advanced-stage cancer.
"From this preliminary activity, we have also discovered that the zombie-like symptoms among drug users can be attributed to either one or a combination of the following factors," Muteti added.
NACADA went on to list factors such as:
- High dosage of heroin;
- Combination of heroin and with a high dosage of prescription drugs especially Diazepam and Amitriptyline;
- Combination of methadone with heroin, high dosage of prescription drugs and other substances;
- Mono use or a combination of heroin and Xylazine, which is a veterinary animal tranquillizer.
The Authority found that drug users are resorting to the use of multiple substances, especially prescription drugs to complement the available heroin whose potency has over time been proven to be reducing.
"Of greater concern, however, is the discovery that some injecting drug users could be attempting to use animal tranquillizers as an alternative to heroin or as an agent to enhance and prolong its potency.
"In addition, this discovery of Xylazine presents a potential public health crisis in the management of drug overdose cases, because the life-saving drug Naloxone does not respond to its overdose," added the statement.
According to the Authority, scientific evidence indicated that with the emerging evidence of non-medical use of veterinary drugs, there is an urgent need to institute measures to regulate and control the diversion of such drugs into the illegal market.
This includes a strong consideration for scheduling of Xylazine and other veterinary drugs prone to abuse to avert such instances.
NACADA announced that it shall be engaging government agencies and other stakeholders in the veterinary sector to come up with mitigation measures against the new development in drug use in the country.
