Discussions over the Captagon pill trade are once again taking center stage as the global isolation of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad ends as the Arab League reinstates Syria as a member state.
Captagon is a highly addictive amphetamine drug, mainly produced in Syria and widely smuggled throughout West Asia. Sales of the drug, estimated at billions of dollars a year, have benefited President al-Assad, his associates and his family, several reports over the years have reported. The drug has become an economic lifeline for Syria as it continues to struggle. The worst economic crisis since the outbreak of civil war in 2011. al asad denied these allegations.
During the meeting, according to Al Jazeera, arab foreign minister At the May 1 meeting, the Damascus government agreed to work with Jordan and Iraq to curb smuggling and identify where the drugs are produced. Following the talks, a prominent Syrian drug smuggler was killed last week in an air strike believed to have been carried out by Jordan in southern Syria.
Reports of Captagon’s growing popularity first surfaced in 2014, when the drug was used by Islamic State (IS) and Syrian fighters to keep them alert and curb their appetites during the brutal fighting. It was found to be widely consumed. However, such amphetamine use is not a recent phenomenon. During World War II, Nazi Germany and the Allies provided their troops with amphetamines. Some reports suggest that the US military still uses such drugs.
What exactly is a captagon?
Captagon, which is commonly used today, is actually a counterfeit of the same brand name drug first manufactured in the 1960s by the German company Degussa Pharma Gruppe. They were manufactured to treat attention deficit disorder, narcolepsy, and other conditions.
Al Jazeera reports that the original Captagon contained phenethylline, a synthetic drug in the phenethylamine family, which also belongs to amphetamines. It was commercially available in some countries until the 1980s, when it was banned due to concerns about its strong toxicity.
Over the next few decades, new illegal pills labeled ‘Captagon’, mainly containing amphetamines, surfaced in Bulgaria, from where criminal networks in the Balkans and Turkey smuggled them into the Arabian Peninsula. However, the authorities led strict crackdown Production stopped and supplies were paralyzed. The drug only made a comeback after 2011, this time in Syria, where a bloody civil war has plunged the country into an economic crisis.
What Do Amphetamine-Based Drugs Do?
According to a 2015 report published by Vox, Captagon pills, like other amphetamine-based drugs, stimulate the central nervous system, “giving you more energy, better focus, and keeping you awake longer.” It is said to have a mood-enhancing effect. in euphoria. “
But they don’t help you acquire “superhuman alertness, courage, strength, or pain tolerance.” However, the report notes that people who take amphetamine-based drugs may experience some kind of placebo effect, which can lead to abnormal behavior. .
Captagon or other amphetamine drugs usually remain in the blood for about 36 hours. When taken orally, the peak effect appears 1-3 hours after ingestion and the effect lasts for he as long as 7-12 hours.
What are the side effects?
Amphetamine consumption can cause heart problems, including loss of appetite and weight, increased heart rate, irregular heartbeat, increased blood pressure, heart attack, and even death. It can also cause high body temperature, flushed skin, memory loss, problems with clear thinking, and stroke.
People usually do not become dependent on prescription amphetamines if they are taken in appropriate doses to treat their disease. However, Medline Plus says on its website that this addiction occurs when people take drugs to get high or improve their performance.
“Addiction can lead to tolerance. Tolerance means you need more of the drug to get the same high. And when you try to stop using it, your mind and body react. can happen,” he added.
How have militaries around the world used them?
Amphetamines were discovered in 1910 and chemically synthesized in 1927, but their prevalence among the military reached its peak during World War II. While Nazi Germany supplied its soldiers with pervitine, a methamphetamine (now known as a crystal stimulant), the Allies gave their troops with benzedrine, an amphetamine sulfate. Both have helped consumers stay awake and alert.
According to reports, Nazi Germany provided a staggering 35 million doses of pervitine between April and July 1940. The drug was also a key part of the blitzkrieg strategy, which carried out rapid strikes on the enemy and relentlessly advanced tank forces day and night. .
Historian Shelby Stanton told Time magazine: Ninety percent of the army had to march on foot day and night. For them, it was more important to keep punching during the Blitz than to sleep well. Now the whole damned army jumped up. That was one of the secrets of the Blitzkrieg. “
However, pervitine’s side effects soon became apparent, as many German soldiers who had taken high doses of pervitine began having heart attacks. This development forced authorities to cut supplies of methamphetamine by the end of 1940. The Times pointed out that methamphetamine use declined sharply over the next two years, as researchers acknowledged that amphetamines can be highly addictive.
Unlike Nazi Germany, the Allies ramped up supplies of Benzedrine. British and American soldiers continued to use the drug throughout the war, but its issuance was regulated. The Telegraph said in a report that “only the base’s medical officer may issue it strictly at their discretion.”
The drug remained popular after the war until 1965, when the United States banned benzedrine inhalers after decades of abuse reports. However, this did not deter amphetamine intake among soldiers.
A 2015 Vox report said the U.S. Air Force still uses these performance-enhancing drugs. “For decades, the Air Force has administered amphetamines, known as ‘go pills,’ to keep pilots awake and alert during long flights,” the report said. Quoted.
“Of course, military sanctions against these supplements (the Air Force relies specifically on dexedrine, which is used among civilians to treat ADHD and narcolepsy), are not without controversy. Two Air National Guard pilots accidentally bombed and killed four Canadians, sparking speculation that the drugs impaired the soldiers’ judgment.”
