The Impact of the Amphetamine Captagon on Jordan: A Perspective of Patients and Frontline Workers

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In recent years, the illicit amphetamine-like drug Captagon (Fenethylline) has become a major concern in the Middle East – both as a source of addiction and due to its connection with terrorism and the armed groups who produce and traffic it. This presentation will provide an overview on the findings of a qualitative study about the impact of Captagon on Jordan by focusing on its relationship to organised crime, and on its role as a source of addiction. This project uniquely combines knowledge from social pharmacy; criminology and international relations to gain a comprehensive understanding of the many ways in which Captagon impacts on Jordanian public health and law enforcement institutions. The research project was funded by GCRF/UK and aimed to describe and analyse Captagon addiction in Jordan from the perspective of users and workers, to ascertain the extent of Captagon trafficking into Jordan, its sources and links to regional conflicts. About the speakers Prof. Mayyada Wazaify Prof. Mayyada Wazaify is Professor of Pharmacy Practice at The School of Pharmacy at the University of Jordan and an Adjunct Professor in Social Pharmacy at The University of Helsinki, Finland. She obtained The Best Scientific Research Award by the Hamad Medical Corporation in Qatar in 2013, the Distinguished Researcher Award at University of Jordan in 2011 and 2012 and was an Advisor of the 41st Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD) of the World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva in 2018. She has consulted for Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA) and Jordan Anti-Narcotics Department since 2004. Dr Christina Steenkamp Dr Christina Steenkamp is a Reader in Social and Political Change at Oxford Brookes University, where she teaches Peace and Conflict studies. She has published widely on topics related to conflict, peacebuilding and violence and has carried out extensive qualitative fieldwork in South Africa, Northern Ireland and the Middle East. She is currently writing her third book, this time on the relationship between organised crime and peacebuilding in the Middle East.