Image: COURTESY
It has been reported that the number of Kenyans who are using bhang has increased by 90% over the past five years.
Kenyans consume bhang at a higher rate and there are many reasons as to why the numbers are high.
The most common age group that consumes cannabis sativa is the teenagers and youths.
There are reasons as to why young people consume marijuana at a high rate:
Peer pressure
This is the most common behaviour that has gotten many young people to start smoking bhang.
Curiosity
Most people who try out bhang for the first time are always curious to know why people consume it.
Different opinions about weed are shared among peers thus giving them the thirst to try it out
Some love the after-feeling that comes with weed as most users claim that it makes one feel so high and most users love the feeling.
Desire to fit in with friends
Many young people feel the need to fit in among their peers.
For one to fit in, they must be ready to do things that are not in accordance with their will.
Some people tend to be controlling and mislead others and make them smoke bhang.
Some use it to cope with anxiety, stress, and depression
Many people undergoing physiological problems or dealing with a lot of emotions tend to sink themselves into drugs.
People think that smoking cannabis will help them forget what they are undergoing but the "good feeling" that people imply they feel after using cannabis does not last.
This makes people get into serious addictions and one is not able to stop.
The surrounding environment
Where one lives, matters a lot together with the people that one surrounds themselves with.
If one stays with neighbors, family, or friends who smoke or consume marijuana, high chance one will engage in the activity to not feel left out.
