Drug addiction in Egypt twice the global rates: Minister
Al-Masry Al-Youm January 16, 2018 12:30 pm
http://www.egyptindependent.com/drug-addiction-in-egypt-twice-the-global-rates-minister/

Egypt’s Minister of Social Solidarity Ghada Wali said on Monday that the
rate of drug addiction in Egypt is twice the global rates, as the percentage
in Egypt has reached 10 percent.

During an interview with TV host Lamis al-Hadidy on Monday, Wali also
pointed out that the drop that has occurred in drug use among school bus
drivers from 12 percent to 3.6 percent does not necessarily mean that
drivers have stopped taking drugs, but may instead mean that school
administrations are increasingly choosing drivers who do not abuse drugs.

She went on to say that Tramadol is one of the most common drugs circulated
among drug users, where it accounted for 60 percent of total drug use,
followed by cannabis and heroin.

During the first semester of the past school year, the Ministry received 56
reports from mothers who suspected drug abuse by school bus drivers, and
surprisingly all of these reports were proven true, the Minister remarked.

She pointed out that the Ministry conducted drug analyses on all metro
drivers, as well as employees of the Ministry of Social Solidarity, where
some were suspended from work after having been proved to be drug abusers.

A program for testing drugs use among school bus drivers was launched in
2016 and proved that dozens of drivers were using various drugs, including
marijuana, Tramadol and heroin.

The drivers were tested by a drug-testing committee from the Fighting and
Treating Addiction Fund (FTAF), which is headed by Wali.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm