Captagon

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About Captagon:

It is a highly addictive amphetamine-type drug, which is produced mainly in Syria.
The original Captagon contained fenetylline, a synthetic drug of the phenethylamine family to which amphetamine also belongs.
It was commercially sold in several countries until the 1980s and was banned due to fears of its highly addictive nature.
It is commonly known as “poor man’s cocaine,” has emerged as the drug of choice among young adults throughout the Middle East and North Africa.
It is a synthetic drug which was originally manufactured in Germany in the 1960s and 1970s where it was intended to treat attention deficit disorders.
The pill contains fenethylline, a synthetic amphetamine, caffeine, and other stimulants.
- Fenethylline is metabolized by the body into two molecules: amphetamine and theophylline, both of which are stimulants.
It was made illegal in 1986 in most countries and discontinued in medical markets.
Concern: It has become a major concern for countries in the Middle East like Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Q1) What is a synthetic drug?

It is a drug with properties and effects similar to a known hallucinogen or narcotic but having a slightly altered chemical structure, especially such a drug created in order to evade restrictions against illegal substances.

Source: What is the drug Captagon, and how is it linked to Germany?