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A Broken Fence Invites the Goat”: Kush Drug Use Among Youth in Freetown, Sierra Leone – A Public Health and Socioeconomic Analysis
Subject area: Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities · Area of research: Crime
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV10I1-1719422
Abstract
The metaphor "A broken fence invites the goat" could be used to critically examine the rise in popularity of "Kush" among young people in Freetown. This metaphor illustrates how weak social structures foster vulnerability and negative behaviors. The "broken fence" in this context refers to systemic flaws including ongoing unemployment, poverty, lax enforcement of regulations, a lack of adequate mental health care, and insufficient possibilities for young people to thrive. The safety precautions that would typically shield young individuals from drug consumption are diminished by these institutional deficiencies. As a result, the "goat" represents the expansion of Kush usage in places where social safety, institutional control, and economic possibilities are compromised. The study's conclusions significantly support this metaphor from a health and socioeconomic standpoint. The correlation between Kush usage and urban disparities, peer pressure, psychosocial strain, and unemployment show how insufficient structural protections can lead to the intersection of several levels of risk. Coupled with societal repercussions like crime, dropping out of school, and familial discord, the ensuing health outcomes such as psychosis, pulmonary conditions, and intellectual impairment showcase the wider effects of systemic malfunction. Kush use therefore serves as a sign of a "broken fence" in Freetown's social security and municipal governance structures rather than just a personal behavioral problem. Enhancing those protective mechanisms via coordinated public health treatments, socioeconomic improvements, and local-level support networks that lessen young susceptibility and restore resiliency is necessary to address this issue.
Keywords
Kush, Youth Drug Use, Freetown, Substance Abuse, Public Health, Urban Poverty, Sierra Leone
How to cite this paper
@article{1719422,
author = {Simeon Jusu},
title = {A Broken Fence Invites the Goat”: Kush Drug Use Among Youth in Freetown, Sierra Leone – A Public Health and Socioeconomic Analysis},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {10},
number = {1},
pages = {140-147},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1719422.pdf},
abstract = {The metaphor "A broken fence invites the goat" could be used to critically examine the rise in popularity of "Kush" among young people in Freetown. This metaphor illustrates how weak social structures foster vulnerability and negative behaviors. The "broken fence" in this context refers to systemic flaws including ongoing unemployment, poverty, lax enforcement of regulations, a lack of adequate mental health care, and insufficient possibilities for young people to thrive. The safety precautions that would typically shield young individuals from drug consumption are diminished by these institutional deficiencies. As a result, the "goat" represents the expansion of Kush usage in places where social safety, institutional control, and economic possibilities are compromised. The study's conclusions significantly support this metaphor from a health and socioeconomic standpoint. The correlation between Kush usage and urban disparities, peer pressure, psychosocial strain, and unemployment show how insufficient structural protections can lead to the intersection of several levels of risk. Coupled with societal repercussions like crime, dropping out of school, and familial discord, the ensuing health outcomes such as psychosis, pulmonary conditions, and intellectual impairment showcase the wider effects of systemic malfunction. Kush use therefore serves as a sign of a "broken fence" in Freetown's social security and municipal governance structures rather than just a personal behavioral problem. Enhancing those protective mechanisms via coordinated public health treatments, socioeconomic improvements, and local-level support networks that lessen young susceptibility and restore resiliency is necessary to address this issue.},
keywords = {Kush, Youth Drug Use, Freetown, Substance Abuse, Public Health, Urban Poverty, Sierra Leone},
month = {July},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV10I1-1719422}
}