Africa’s Opioid crisis: the pain in the tea

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Cheap painkillers in large Parts of Africa, more and more people dependent. Terrorist groups profit from the illegal trade. The Problem: For the seriously Ill is a lack of legal and safe Alternatives.

If the United Nations is the “world drogentag” (26. June) as is the case every year against drug abuse and to draw illicit trafficking field, many people think primarily of Heroin, cocaine, tobacco or alcohol. The world’s most dramatic drug crisis is spinning at the moment to substances that are actually included in legal drugs such as cough syrup or pain pills: The so-called opioids, which produce heroin-related noise effects and fast on can.

In the world of the non-medical use of opioids increased in the last ten years dramatically. In the US, President Donald Trump has, therefore, already in 2017, the national health state of emergency. However, in many Parts of Africa, opioids, claiming more and more victims. Tons of the harmless looking and cheap pills are smuggled on the continent and on the black markets of the consumers sold without any medical control.

UN: “Find ourselves in a crisis situation”

The United Nations office for drugs and crime (UNODOC) in Vienna is now talking of a “crisis situation”. “More and more people in Africa are dependent on opioids,” says Matthew Nice, Manager of the Opioid program of UNODOC. For many countries, there is currently no exact Numbers, but the situation could be described as very serious. Especially in Ghana, Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso or Togo in the non-medical Opioid is widespread consumption far, so Matthew Nice in the DW-Interview. Tramadol is clearly the most consumed medium.

A market in Abidjan, Côte d’ivoire: In many Parts of Africa, the trade in contraband flourishes apply drugs

Originally Tramadol was developed by the German pharmaceutical company grünenthal GmbH and came in 1977, under the name of Tramal on the market. As the Patent expired in some Parts of the world, were Indian generics manufacturer to the point: you were the agent mass and also supplied the African markets. Chinese, Nigerian and Ghanaian pill manufacturer to.

Africa is particularly vulnerable

“The smuggling of the pills is relatively easy. Your Transport is hardly controlled. It’s apparently not about drugs, but allegedly only to be a harmless drug,” says Matthew Nice. Although the Opioid Problem affects other regions of the world, such as North America. Africa was more vulnerable. Because in most of the countries of Africa, there is no effective control instances. “For criminal organizations good ways to make money in Africa especially,” says Nice.

The consequence: more and more countries are flooded with cheap Tramadol pills. In Ghana, for example, the drug is reportedly among consumers as “Tramore” known. The Name has a double meaning: as a potency of the Opioid in Ghana is a popular one. In Gabon, where Tramadol is popularly called a “Kobolo” is the Mediterranean, especially among school students, popular, want to increase the testing efficiency. And in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, reports, eye witnesses, he could leave at some street stands, a Tramadol tablet in his tea to refuel before hard physical labour.

The opioids drug Tramadol is present in Africa

“Tramadol is available to buy practically anywhere on the black market”, is also confirmed by the Togolese psychiatrist Damega Wenkourama in the DW-Interview. And that’s where the medium to be dosed extremely high, and do so especially quickly depending on the. “People jitters to take the pills especially for hard work. You feel stronger, more alert and more efficient. However, you land relatively quickly in the dependency.” The hospital of Kara, in the Wenkourama addiction dealt with, from the increasing number of tablets overwhelmed, addicted, in the meantime, the psychiatrist reported.

Drugs smuggling: the role of The terrorist networks

However, the smuggling of opioids is not only for the public health in many African countries is a Problem. “There are indications that some extremist groups and terrorist organizations are involved in the international trade with opioids or benefit from it,” says Matthew Nice from the Opioid program of the United Nations. In addition, there were reports stating that groups such as Boko Haram or Al-Qaeda to distribute opioids to their own members, in order to increase their fearlessness and willingness to fight.

To escape such organisations to the floor, advise Nice and his comrades-in-arms, African security authorities in the fight against smuggling network works. More important, however, according to Nice, a functioning legal market for drugs in the affected countries. “What we mainly see, is to be sold in many African countries, large quantities of opioids in an uncontrolled manner.” The reason for this is that people that actually needed painkillers, would not have the opportunity to buy the medications in good quality legally. “People are trying to come out on the other Due to the pain and geschmuggeltes Tramadol is one of these ways.”