Diving Into an Abidjan Smokehouse: ‘Doing Nothing But Begging & Taking Drugs’

Former drug addicts reintegrated into society in Ivory Coast.Drug abuse is a real scourge in Côte d’Ivoire, which ruins the lives of drug addicts and their families. In their attempt to eradicate this harmful phenomenon, the authorities have started to destroy smoking rooms, typical Ivorian places where the various drug users gather. However, this measure has produced the opposite effect.Hidden from public eyes, just behind a tarpaulin, at the end of a wall, in a busy street, under a bridge, or on the side of a railway line, they gather, again and again, to indulge in this dangerous habit. These places, called smoking rooms, are typical of the Ivory Coast and attract thousands of cannabis, heroin and crack addicts day and night. This cocaine and cannabis user knows firsthand that psychotropic substances have “totally” destroyed her life. “I’ve been using drugs for 20 years. It was an acquaintance who got me into it. He is a friend. He died from a drug-related illness,” she told Sputnik on condition of anonymity.

"In my first experience, he sent me to a ghetto where we consumed cocaine," the Abidjan resident recalls, adding that she has not stopped using drugs since then.

Burned out, she wants to give up this habit, but has had no success. Her willpower is not enough.© Sputnik / SputnikDrug users along with the members of the Happiness House Drug users along with the members of the Happiness House “I can’t sleep anymore. I do nothing with my life except begging and using drugs. I beg in the street and when I earn some money, I go to the ghetto to consume,” she lamented.The story of Sputnik’s other interlocutor is just as horrifying. He has been using drugs for 26 years. He also had a friend who turned his life upside down.”I started with the Indian hemp, the cannabis. After that, they made me try cocaine and since then I’ve been using cocaine. 26 years now. I am basically a worker. I do odd jobs to buy drugs. Now I live in the ghetto,” he said.

Opposite Effect

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 12% of Ivorians aged 15 to 64 were drug users in 2016. The number of smoking rooms, which exploded after the 2011 Civil War, can be counted in the thousands across the country. Determined to put an end to this “gangrene,” the authorities have launched a massive program to shut down these places. But the measure seems to have been counterproductive.”In recent months, the anti-drug policy has focused on the destruction of smoking rooms and ghettos. But when one smoking room is destroyed, 10 new ones appear,” Yahi Serge, secretary general of the Home of Happiness, a community association for the care of drug users in Côte d’Ivoire, told Sputnik.

A Notable Increase

The scourge of consumption affects all categories of people of all ages. “Men, women, adults, youth. Various social levels: the rich, the poor, the workers, the unemployed, the pupils and students are found in places called ghettos,” Yahi Serge said.According to him, the increase in cases has been significant in recent months. “We carried out a study with the organization Doctors of the World on the number of people who use drugs in Abidjan. In March, we counted 6,460 people using drugs and today, we have 7,600 consumers in the Abidjan area,” Mr. Serge said.

What Consequences?

The health effects are disastrous for users. Drug addicts have a “very high” HIV prevalence rate, and many have tuberculosis.Some addicts report diseases in their families. “This is a chain of disease for society with serious consequences. I mean, the spread of diseases is really dangerous for the Ivorian society,” Sputnik’s interlocutor stressed.

‘Rehabilitation Is the Best Solution’

Yahi Serge shared his vision for reducing the number of drug users. He believes that it is first necessary to strengthen the capacities and train the members of the NGOs fighting against this scourge for a better assistance and care of drug addicts, whose reintegration into society should then be facilitated.© Sputnik / SputnikFormer drug addicts reintegrated into societyFormer drug addicts reintegrated into society”When someone decides to stop using drugs, we send them to a detoxification center […]. And we try to integrate them into society. We help them learn the trades. We have several stories. There are some former users who have been able to reintegrate into society. We try to keep them busy. A drug user returns to drugs because of the difficulties of life. Reintegration is the best solution,” Mr. Serge concluded.

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