The National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) has released a survey report on the growing prevalence of cannabis use in the country.
The report shows that in the last 5 years, the number of Kenyans consuming cannabis has increased by 90%.
The “Status of Drugs and Substance Use (DSU) in Kenya, 2022”, which was released on Monday, shows that approximately one in every 53 Kenyans aged 15 to 65 years, approximately 518,807 individuals, is currently using marijuana.
Breaking this down further, the survey indicates that out of these users, 475,770 are males (one in every 26) and 43,037 are females (one in every 333).
The report also sheds light on regional cannabis use, with Nairobi recording the highest prevalence of current cannabis use at 6.3%. Nyanza comes next at 2.4%, and the Coast at 1.9%.
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In the youth demographic, specifically among individuals aged 15 to 24 years, the report indicates that one in every 37 individuals (193,430) is presently using cannabis. For those aged 25 to 35 years, the prevalence is slightly lower, with one in every 48 individuals (174,142) using cannabis.
According to NACADA, a staggering 47.4% of current cannabis users are grappling with addiction to its consumption.
In the national ranking of the most abused drugs in the country, cannabis takes the fourth position, with Khat (Miraa), Tobacco, and Alcohol taking the top three spots.
The survey was carried out in various selected clusters distributed throughout the nation, targeting individuals aged 15 to 65 years. The sample population was drawn from the Kenya Household Master Sample Frame (K-HMSF), which is maintained by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).
