A pill for work and play
A painkiller becomes Egypt’s favourite recreational drug
The Economist (UK)
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Saturday, April 18, 2015
The little pills of Tramadol are ubiquitous in Egypt. Taxi drivers take them to stay awake on the road. Men use them to improve their sexual prowess. Petty officials readily accept them as a bribe. And wedding guests even receive them as token gifts. Tramadol has become Egypt’s favourite recreational drug, supplanting heroin and cannabis. An opioid prescribed as a painkiller, Tramadol has a reputation for improving alertness and male sexual stamina — qualities much sought after in a country where people often have several jobs to make ends meet and where few women find it easy to experience orgasm because of widespread female genital mutilation. (See also: Painkiller Tramadol number one drug abused in Egypt: Minister)
