The National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse has linked zombie-like symptoms among drug users in Coast to high dosages of heroin.
This is after a video circulated on social media platforms last month showing several young men looking drowsy, sedated and confused, barely able to maintain an upright posture.
The videos depicted persons allegedly suffering the effects of using a suspected substance after purportedly ingesting it in some parts of the country.
In a fact-finding mission to the Coast region, findings by Nacada have attributed it to a combination of heroin and high dosage of prescription drugs, especially Diazepam and Amitriptyline.
It also emerged that the drug users were combining methadone with heroin together with high dosages of prescription drugs and other substances
Cases of use of a combination of heroin and Xylazine, which is a veterinary animal tranquilizer were also established.
“From the findings, we can comfortably report that so far we do not have any reported Fentanyl case in the country,” Nacada acting CEO John Muteti said.
“It is evident that drug users are resulting to the use of multiple substances, especially prescription drugs to complement the available heroin whose potency has over time been proven to be reducing.”
The two-week exercise was initiated and undertaken with other partners comprising Community-Based Organizations, government and non-government agencies and members of the public.
During the fact-finding mission, 20 samples in various forms were collected in three counties of the Coast region and handed over to the Government Chemist for analysis and identification.
