Captagon, a psychotropic drug that’s cheap to produce, is very big business. Omar Haj Kadour · AFP · GettyEvery year, customs officials across the Middle East seize thousands of kilogrammes of the synthetic psychotropic drug captagon hidden in fruit crates, boxes of confectionery, tubs of hummus and even the stomachs of live sheep. Last November Morocco said it had seized two million tablets exported from Lebanon, some headed for West Africa. While the drug is banned by the civil authorities, users see it as different from substances explicitly proscribed by the religious authorities, such as alcohol, cannabis, cocaine and heroin. Caroline Rose, co-author of the New Lines Institute report, says, ‘In the Gulf states, captagon is very popular as a recreational drug.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 27, 2023 22:23 UTC