Written By: Mike MVP
A 2018 NACADA Study revealed that almost 163,000 Kenyans aged between 15-65 years smoke weed. The largest group of users is aged below 35 years. Which happens to be the most internet-savvy generation. Could Google be contributing to these rising statistics?
Cannabis trends in Kenya
Back in the ’90s and early 2000s, society deemed marijuana smokers as outcasts. Steadfast Christians would warn their children that bhangi turns brains into cabbages. Bhang was the reason you saw that unkempt man in your village who walked around barefoot while mumbling all day.
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Turning point
Kenyans have been trying to purchase weed online from as early as 2015. When you analyze the search traffic data, you’ll realize that smartphone users constitute over 70%.
Facebook, Quora, and Reddit have the most active discussions about buying cannabis in Kenya. Perhaps the diversity of affordable smartphones and internet packages might have sparked these bold discussions online. However, these online forums rarely impose age restrictions and this makes it easy for teenagers to meet weed dealers.
Three Reasons Why It’s Easy To Find Marijuana through Google
1. Suggestive Cannabis Keywords
When you type “buy weed in Nairobi” on Google, you’ll see the search results below on your screen.
Anyone can click on these links and connect with a marijuana dealer offering a variety of products. This makes it quite tempting for teenagers because the mode of contact is quite discreet. Your son or daughter can click any of the links, get the dealer’s phone number, then organize a meet via text messages. All while you’re seated watching TV together.
Some websites such as WeBeHigh, Sensi Seeds, and others even give a detailed tutorial on how to buy weed in Nairobi. You can also get a variety of strains however and even purchase weed accessories based on the suggested keywords from Google.
2. Appealing images
A first-time buyer can get a rough idea of weed quantities and corresponding prices by clicking images provided in the search results. Some images actually direct you to local Facebook groups where cannabis dealers and buyers interact as seen in the screenshot below.
3. No age restrictions
Nowadays, teenagers as young as 15 years old have their own phones. This gives them unlimited freedom and privacy to go online compared to using the family computer in your living room.
A curious teenager can type “buy weed in Nairobi” and he or she will access search results without any restrictions. In addition, the teen might share these search results with peers by taking screenshots. This easy access to information fuels the temptation to experiment with Cannabis.
Final thoughts
It’s quite clear that drug dealers have shifted the business from dark alleys to online forums where minors are present. Since it might be impossible to monitor every teenager, Google can step in and impose age-restricted search results.
