Kenya youth chocking under the influence of bangi

Kenya under Roots Party candidate Professor George Wajackoyah would look a little different from what it is today. It would be, first and foremost, the latest African nation to embrace marijuana farming on a large scale.

In an interview on the comedy show ‘Too Much Information with Ty Ngachira’, the man with 17 degrees described what his first day as President-elect would look like:

“I have never smoked weed, but when I win, I will go to State House and smoke to purify it. I will smoke in Parliament to purify it. I will do it to set Kenya free.”

Wajackoyah opened that interview by describing himself as the ‘yah man’ candidate. Later, he insisted that he was more than just about legalising marijuana. He was the first candidate to announce a female running mate.

His manifesto includes observations on the state of public debt, foreign policies on labour and cutting off corruption at the roots.

None of it sticks very long in the minds of his fans. Wajackoyah, is the candidate, who wants to legalise marijuana. You know, the one, who wears a durag and walks around in Jah Nation T-shirts. The 5th!

It has been a striking choice of a platform to run on, a memorable one that has instantly drawn excited youth to his ranks. It is almost too easy to get lost in the fervour of his campaign antics and forget that marijuana is still classified as an illegal substance in the country.

It is even easier to overlook the fact that marijuana usage is already at staggering levels, especially among the youth. A 2012 NACADA Agency survey found that 1.0 per cent of the population aged 15-65 years was using the drug. Lab analyses on confectionaries like cookies and cakes found that 48.9 per cent of them were laced with bhang, and these were very popular with university students.

In the first six months of 2019, NACADA reported that 2,386 people were arrested for possession of bhang. A guestimate would suggest this is a fraction of the actual bhang users in the country. The real numbers are likely to be more staggering.

It is particularly damning that the drug has slowly lost its fear factor among the youth. Not only is it easier to find a plug regardless of where you are, but it is also no longer even necessary to deploy creative ways of concealing the drug.

Go to any party or gathering of young people and you will be lucky not to consume food laced with weed, or inhale the second-hand smoke of a ‘blunt rotation’ happening in some corner of the room.

“Weed is nothing these days,” says Owen Gitonga (not his real name), a web developer at a firm in the city and an ardent ‘stoner’. “Every building has a plug. Everyone has a blunt on them. You don’t need to try so hard to get your hands on the drug.”

Gitonga started smoking casually two years ago thanks to influence from his friends. Since then, he smokes almost daily.

“I’m up to around three joints per day. It’s not about getting high. It clears my head and helps me think.”

He insists that the drug does not have any dangerous effects on him, even while refusing to classify his usage as an addiction.

“I don’t need to smoke,” he says. “But I would not be comfortable knowing my stash was getting depleted. It’s only weed. Half the countries in the world have legalised it, so it can’t be that bad for you, can it?”

Gitonga’s dependence may be low, but his behaviour still follows the gradual path to addiction, according to Dr Sarah Kanana, a Psychologist and Addiction specialist.

“Addiction refers to the chronic use of substances such that it is compulsive, despite the negative effect,” she says. “Initial use is about experimentation, but gradually, the person increases frequency until it becomes compulsive.”

“All substances have an effect on the brain. Drugs lead to the release of the feel-good hormone, dopamine. Different drugs act on different receptors in the brain. Cannabis acts on cannabinoid receptors, for instance. When someone continues using it long-term, the brain gets used to it, so when they stop using it, they get withdrawal symptoms.”

The perception that marijuana is “not that bad”, Dr Kanana says, is a dangerous one.

“It’s because of how we have been socialised. People hear from others, they see it in the effects. Cannabis intoxication, for example, does not look as bad as other drugs like alcohol or heroin.”

The fact that the drug is being legalized left, right and centre does not help this perception either. But what users don’t realise is that the bhang being consumed medicinally is not the same as the stuff they are sold illicitly.

It is a crucial point.

“Cannabis is derivative from the cannabis sativa plant,” Dr Kanana explains. “The plant itself has more than 700 chemicals, only a small number of which are cannabinoids, some of which have been shown to be safe, or even beneficial.”

“With medical marijuana, the harmful chemicals are taken out, and it is recommended for use in specific conditions. The majority of the other chemicals cause harmful effects on the body. These are the ones most people end up using recreationally. These are the ones which present the risk of addiction and the psychoactive effects,” she says.

But why then are Kenyans going gaga over Wajackoyah and his marijuana crusade?

Political analyst Barrack Muluka explains that the answer ironically lies in the same high that marijuana smokers seek to escape the harsh realities of life.

“Bangi is about hallucinations and escaping from the harsh realities of life to false highs. When you live in the harsh Kenyan world, the urge to escape into the world of hallucinations can be overwhelming, “Muluka says.

Quipping, tongue firmly in cheek, that even for some professors, escaping into books is not enough, he adds that “You you need real weed to lift you to candy mountain where it is Christmas 24/7.”

Equally tickled is Dr Elias Mokua, Executive Director, Loyola Centre for Media and Communication: “Wajackoya’s edutainment examples at his intellectual level absurdly makes great fun!”

But political analyst Dismas Mokua has a more nuanced views.

“There are two types of candidates. The serious and non serious ones. Wajackoyah is a disruptor, does not have any constituency. The kenyan vote is anchored on ethic nationality and majority. Serious candidate use those two. Wajackoyah knows that he has neither so his campaign is unconventional and extreme.

“His message appeals to social media. They find it to be exciting. he knows the probability of him executing the (bangi) idea is almost zero. He is running because he wants to become an unconventional candidate. He is not going to be a choice. he will be a very solid debater in the debate. 

“His purpose is to embarrass and offer new ideas. He might also be seeking the attention of lobbyists who want cannabis grown in Kenya for commercial purposes,” says Mokua.