Overview
What is New Psychoactive Substances?
New Psychoactive Substances (NPS), also known as designer drugs or "legal highs," are synthetic chemicals designed to mimic the effects of controlled drugs while changing their molecular structure just enough to avoid legal scheduling. When one version is banned, chemists tweak the formula and release a new version.
The NACADA 2026 wastewater analysis detected three categories of NPS in Kenyan wastewater for the first time: alpha-ethyltryptamine (a serotonergic psychedelic), benzofurans (a stimulant class), and synthetic cathinones (khat analogues with stimulant effects). This confirmed what NACADA had suspected: these substances are no longer just a risk, they are already in use in Kenyan communities.
Spice/K2 (synthetic cannabinoids), the most widely known category of NPS globally, mimic the effects of cannabis but can be many times more potent and produce completely different and far more dangerous effects including seizures and psychosis.
What it does to the brain and body
How does it work?
Why people use it
What draws people to it?
NPS are often marketed as "legal highs" and sold in attractive packaging as "herbal incense" or "plant food." Young people may not realise they are taking a psychoactive drug.
They are accessible online and through some informal retailers, without the social stigma or legal risk associated with street drugs.
Users seeking the effects of cannabis, khat, or cocaine may turn to NPS when those substances are unavailable or when they want to avoid detection on drug tests (some NPS do not show up on standard testing).
Short-term effects
What happens when someone uses it?
These effects can occur even with first-time or occasional use.
- Highly variable and unpredictable depending on the specific substance and batch
- Synthetic cannabinoids: intense sedation, confusion, paranoia, vomiting, seizures, and psychosis (far more severe than natural cannabis)
- Synthetic cathinones: agitation, paranoia, extreme aggression, overheating, and heart problems
- Hallucinations and complete disconnection from reality
- Any NPS can cause unexpected and severe effects with no warning
Long-term effects
What happens with regular or prolonged use?
- Unknown and poorly documented due to the constantly changing chemical landscape
- Psychosis that persists after stopping use, documented with synthetic cannabinoids
- Significant cardiovascular damage
- Severe psychological dependence
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 substances sold as "herbal incense," "plant food," or "legal highs"
- Severe agitation, confusion, or psychosis after using what appeared to be cannabis
- Purchasing substances online with unusual names or packaging
- Extreme, unpredictable behaviour after substance use that does not match the expected effects of known drugs
Addiction and dependence
How addictive is it?
Different NPS have very different addiction profiles, but synthetic cathinones and synthetic cannabinoids are known to produce rapid and severe dependence in regular users.
The most dangerous aspect is unpredictability: the dose, potency, and specific chemicals in any batch are unknown. What was "safe" in one purchase may be lethal in the next.
Overdose and acute danger
When does it become immediately dangerous?
- Because NPS compositions vary widely, there is no consistent overdose threshold
- Synthetic cannabinoid overdose: seizures, extreme agitation, high body temperature, heart problems
- Synthetic cathinone overdose: severe agitation, violent behaviour, heart attack
- Any severe reaction to an unknown substance is a medical emergency. Call 999 and tell responders exactly what the person took and when.
Withdrawal
What happens when someone tries to stop?
Who is most affected
Groups particularly at risk in Kenya
Young people aged 15 to 30 who use online markets or who are attracted to "legal" alternatives to controlled substances.
University students and club-goers who may purchase NPS believing them to be safer than traditional drugs.
The NACADA 2025 university survey flagged NPS as an emerging concern among Kenyan university students.
In Kenya
What the data says about Kenya
The 2026 NACADA wastewater analysis marked a watershed moment: NPS were detected in Kenyan wastewater for the first time, confirming that these substances have entered community use, not just been theoretically available.
NACADA CEO Anthony Omerikwa specifically warned that synthetic drugs "can explode overnight" based on international experience, and called for proactive law enforcement and wastewater monitoring systems similar to those deployed in the UK and Europe.
A clandestine methamphetamine laboratory discovered in Namanga in 2024 suggests that the infrastructure for synthetic drug manufacturing is being established in Kenya. Expansion to other NPS categories is a realistic concern.
Across East and Central Africa
How is it used in the wider region?
| Country | Local name(s) | Context and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | Kush, NPS | Nigeria has experienced a severe synthetic cannabinoid crisis branded "Kush." It is produced locally and has caused widespread harm particularly in Lagos and southern states. Kush often contains a mixture of nitazene opioids and synthetic cannabinoids. |
| South Africa | Spice, K2, Nyaope | Nyaope (a street mixture that may contain synthetic cannabinoids, heroin, and other substances) is widespread. NPS use in nightlife settings is growing. |
| Tanzania | Spice, Synthetic khat | Synthetic cathinones documented in Dar es Salaam, sometimes sold as substitutes for khat. |
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.
NACADA Helpline
If you or someone you know has used an unknown or new substance and is experiencing problems.
Sources
References
- Standard Media. (2026). Sewage is telling us secrets we can no longer ignore. standardmedia.co.ke
- The Star. (2026, May 15). Commonly abused prescription drugs in Kenya.
- Kenya Times. (2026). New NACADA report reveals cannabis dominates even as new drugs emerge.
- ENACT Africa. (2025). Access to precursor chemicals fuels synthetic drug production in Kenya.
- ISS Africa. (2025). Kenya's growing role in global meth production.
- UNODC. (2025). World Drug Report 2025. Vienna: UNODC.