A recent report has revealed that Nairobi has the highest rate of Cannabis consumption in the country. This is according to a national survey called the “Status of Drugs and Substance Use (DSU) in Kenya, 2022.”
The survey indicates that Nairobi has the highest prevalence of cannabis use, with 6.3 percent of the population consuming it. Following Nairobi are Nyanza with 2.4 percent and the Coast region with 1.9 percent.
Releasing the report on Friday, Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo highlighted that the number of people currently using cannabis in the country has risen by 90 percent over the past five years. The report states that approximately 518,807 Kenyans aged 15 to 65 (equivalent to one in every 53 individuals) are currently using cannabis.
Furthermore, the report indicates that males in the country outnumber females in terms of cannabis consumption. Roughly one in every 26 males aged 15 to 65 (475,770 individuals) are currently using cannabis, compared to one in every 333 females (43,037 individuals).
The survey attributes the increasing demand for cannabis, particularly among the youth, to a “low perception of harm due to myths, misinformation, and misconceptions.”
In addition, the report highlights that alcohol remains the most abused drug in the country, followed by tobacco, khat, and cannabis respectively.
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