FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AFP)— Sierra Leone authorities on Saturday burned $200,000 worth of narcotic drugs and chemicals used to manufacture the synthetic drug kush, two weeks after drug abuse was declared a national emergency.

Several law enforcement agencies were present at the Sierra Leone Police Training Academy in the capital, Freetown, as a small crowd gathered around the bellowing fire and rising smoke.

Kush — a mixture of chemical substances with similar effects to cannabis — has been prevalent in the West African country for several years.

“We are destroying confiscated narcotics, tramadol and chemicals used for the manufacturing of kush… to avoid the likelihood of (them) going back to the community,” said Mohamed Alieu, head of a police transnational organised crime unit, during a short ceremony to mark the burning of the drugs.

They also burned cannabis and cocaine, according to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.

“We are waging a war against kush to save the youths of Sierra Leone from dying of drug addiction,” said the agency’s Executive Director Andrew Jaia KaiKai.

“Our country is in a state of drug confusion and we must eradicate it to protect the future generation,” said Joseph Lahai, director of the police’s crime services.

The Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio said earlier this month that drug abuse in the country was a “national emergency”.