Medical experts are calling upon parents to be on the lookout as Drug dealers in parts of Kampala have resorted to lacing snacks with narcotic substances and selling them to unsuspecting consumers. Although the packaging is similar to ordinary snacks in supermarket shelves and retail stores, it has been established that some dealers are now […]
Medical experts are calling upon parents to be on the lookout as Drug dealers in parts of Kampala have resorted to lacing snacks with narcotic substances and selling them to unsuspecting consumers.
Although the packaging is similar to ordinary snacks in supermarket shelves and retail stores, it has been established that some dealers are now using drugs ranging from opium, kuber, ecstasy to cocaine as an ingredient for biscuits, cookies, cakes and nut crackers, most of which are a common delicacy for children.
This, according to one of the dealers, is one strategy to sell narcotics and recruit new drug users. A walk through the outlets in Kampala established that like all business, there is a chain of dealers that supply the drug laced snacks to outlets in the areas of Ntinda, Bukoto, Kamwokya, Kisenyi and Kansanga, among others.
Some of the dealers however only speak, meet and sell to individuals who are already known to them. A 26-year-old, who preferred anonymity, explained that it was the first time he was taking the position of a dealer having been a consumer of the snack for some time. He says that after using marijuana for a number of years, he found out that drugs can be easily consumed through snacks. The cookies cost between 10,000 and 30,000 Shillings a packet, depending on who and where they are being sold.
Dr David Basangwa the Executive Director of Butabika Hospital and a specialist in drug and Alcohol abuse says there is no big difference between inhaling, injecting or eating drugs. The only difference is the rate at which the drugs get to the brain making one for feel high.
