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Saudi tops in abuse of stimulants in Gulf
JEDDAH - Saudi Arabia is the number one abuser of stimulants in the region despite the warning on Saudi Customs forms that drug traffickers are given the death penalty, according to a new report released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Based on a ruling by the Supreme Ulema, drug smugglers and those who receive and distribute drugs from abroad, if caught, would receive the death penalty.

The UNODC report, which uses words like ‘unprecedented’ and ‘dramatic increase’ to describe the abuse of stimulants in the Kingdom, said stimulants from Bulgaria and Turkey are being trucked through Syria and Jordan and distributed throughout the Gulf region. “More illegal amphetamines are being seized in the Gulf than in the United States, China and Britain combined,” says the 303-page report released last week. It adds that Captagon pills - a mixture of the stimulants fenethylline and caffeine - are available for only a few riyals on the streets of Jeddah, Manama and Doha.

The UNODC report documents how Captagon seizures mushroomed from 291 kgs in 2000 to 12.3 tons in 2006, and reveals how young Saudis and Arabs fall prey to drugs and addiction.
That's 12.3 metric tons for a population of 28 million people.
Captagon was originally prescribed for treating severe conditions such as depression and narcolepsy. The 30mg tablets have become a craze among the Gulf’s sizeable population of teenagers and adults aged 20-25, offering users a sensation of self-confidence that eventually leads to addiction and paranoia. Boys tend to take the drug for its stimulating effect while girls are using it as a combination stimulant/weight loss supplement. Both sexes use the drug to stay awake as they study for final exams or for recreation at social gatherings.

Omani officials have also confiscated two tons of illegal stimulants recently, while smaller shipments were seized in Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait.
Posted by: Steve White 2008-07-03
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=243259