Overview
What is Cannabis?
Cannabis is a plant whose dried flowers and leaves contain THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the main psychoactive compound, along with CBD and hundreds of other cannabinoids. It is called bhang or bangi in Swahili-speaking East Africa.
Cannabis is grown in various parts of Kenya, particularly in coastal areas, Meru, and parts of Central Kenya. It is also imported from Uganda, Tanzania, and further afield. It is smoked, less commonly eaten in food (bhang tea or mandazi), and increasingly vaporised.
The use of cannabis in Kenya has grown significantly, with the NACADA 2022 survey showing a 90 percent increase in current use over the previous five years. It is now used across all regions, though Nairobi, Nyanza, and the Coast have the highest rates.
What it does to the brain and body
How does it work?
Why people use it
What draws people to it?
Many users report using cannabis for relaxation and stress relief. For young people in high-stress environments, it can feel like an accessible way to manage anxiety or difficult emotions.
Social use is common, particularly among young men. Cannabis is often used in groups and sharing it is part of certain social rituals.
Some users believe cannabis has medical or spiritual value and use it intentionally for these purposes. While there is some evidence for medical use of specific cannabis products, street cannabis in Kenya is unregulated and its content is unknown.
Short-term effects
What happens when someone uses it?
These effects can occur even with first-time or occasional use.
- Relaxation, euphoria, and altered perception of time and senses
- Increased appetite (commonly called "the munchies")
- Impaired short-term memory and concentration
- Slowed reaction time and poor coordination
- Red eyes and dry mouth
- Anxiety, paranoia, or panic, particularly in inexperienced users or at high doses
- In rare cases, acute psychosis with hallucinations and confusion
Long-term effects
What happens with regular or prolonged use?
- Cannabis use disorder affects approximately one in ten regular users
- Significant cognitive impairment, particularly in people who start using before age 18, when the brain is still developing
- Increased risk of psychosis and schizophrenia in people with a genetic predisposition
- Chronic bronchitis and respiratory problems from smoking
- Amotivational syndrome in heavy users: loss of drive, interest, and productivity
- Worsening of existing mental health conditions
Recognising a problem
Signs that use may have become a problem
These signs apply to the person using the substance and can also help family members or friends recognise when help is needed.
- Using every day or nearly every day
- Feeling unable to relax or sleep without using
- Spending significant money on cannabis despite financial pressure
- Neglecting school, work, or family responsibilities
- Paranoia, unusual beliefs, or hearing things that others do not
- Friends or family expressing concern
- Failed attempts to cut down or stop
Addiction and dependence
How addictive is it?
Approximately one in ten people who use cannabis regularly develop cannabis use disorder. The risk increases to about one in six for those who start in adolescence.
Cannabis is less physically addictive than alcohol or heroin, but psychological dependence is real. Withdrawal includes irritability, insomnia, reduced appetite, and anxiety, which drive continued use.
Overdose and acute danger
When does it become immediately dangerous?
- Cannabis cannot cause a fatal overdose in the traditional sense, but extremely high doses can cause severe panic, paranoia, and acute psychosis requiring emergency care
- Signs of a cannabis crisis: extreme agitation, delusions, hallucinations, vomiting, inability to communicate, loss of contact with reality
- In these situations, remain calm, move the person to a quiet environment, and seek medical help if symptoms are severe or do not resolve
Withdrawal
What happens when someone tries to stop?
Who is most affected
Groups particularly at risk in Kenya
Young men aged 15 to 35 are the primary users of cannabis in Kenya. Nairobi, Nyanza, and Coast regions have the highest prevalence.
Cannabis use is increasingly common among university students. A 2025 NACADA survey found significant cannabis use in Kenyan universities, often used alongside tobacco and alcohol.
Street children and young people in urban informal settlements are at particularly high risk, often using cannabis from a very young age.
In Kenya
What the data says about Kenya
Cannabis (bhang) is the most widely used illegal drug in Kenya, with current use by approximately 518,807 people (NACADA 2022). Nairobi leads at 6.3% prevalence, followed by Nyanza (2.4%) and Coast (1.9%).
Use has increased by 90 percent in five years, reflecting both increased production and changing social attitudes, particularly among young people.
Cannabis is often smoked mixed with tobacco in Kenya, compounding respiratory harm. Shisha preparations have been found to contain cannabis products.
Some shisha flavours sold in Kenya before the 2017 ban tested positive for cannabis, cocaine, and heroin (NACADA and Ministry of Health testing, 2014). The shisha ban was specifically linked to these findings.
Across East and Central Africa
How is it used in the wider region?
| Country | Local name(s) | Context and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Uganda | Njaga, Ndiwa | Cannabis cultivation and use is widespread despite prohibition. Uganda is a significant cultivation country and transit point for regional trafficking. |
| Tanzania | Bangi, Msongo | Tanzania is a significant cannabis producer, particularly in southern highland regions. Both domestic use and export to regional markets are significant. |
| Ethiopia | Sanga, Ganja | Cannabis cultivation in Kaffa and other southern regions. Growing urban use, particularly in Addis Ababa. |
| South Africa | Dagga, Zol | South Africa decriminalised private adult use in 2018. Significant cultivation in Transkei (Eastern Cape). SA has a large and open cannabis culture. |
| Nigeria | Igbo, Weed | One of the most widely used drugs in Nigeria. Significant cultivation in many states despite prohibition. |
Getting help
Where to turn in Kenya
NACADA Helpline
Free, confidential counselling and referral to treatment centres near you. Available 24 hours a day.
Mathari National Hospital
Kenya's main national psychiatric and substance use treatment facility in Nairobi. Inpatient and outpatient services.
County referral hospitals
Every county in Kenya has a mental health and substance use service. Ask at your nearest hospital or health centre.
Sources
References
- National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA). (2022). National Survey on the Status of Drugs and Substance Use in Kenya 2022. Nairobi: NACADA.
- Nation Africa. (2025, May 5). Over 1.5 million Kenyan youths grappling with drug and substance abuse.
- NACADA. (2019). Trends and Patterns of Emerging Drugs in Kenya. Nairobi: NACADA.
- Freeman, T. P., et al. (2019). Proportion of people in contact with mental health services following cannabis use that have a cannabis use disorder. The Lancet Psychiatry.