Iraqi women organize cycling marathon to raise drug awareness
Female cyclists participate in an event to raise awareness of the harmful effects of drugs in Baghdad, Iraq. Photo: Xinhua
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – An Iraqi women’s cycling team organized on Saturday a bicycle marathon under the slogan ‘No to drugs in my country,’ according to Xinhua.
The marathon is held to raise awareness against the spread of drugs in Iraq, Xinhua added.
A report issued by AFP mentioned that Iraq in recent years witnessed a dramatic spike in drug abuse, prompting authorities to search for answers, both by cracking down on traffickers and by providing help to addicts.
The report clarified that Methamphetamine, or crystal meth, originating in Afghanistan or Iran, is among the most common drugs in Iraq today, alongside Captagon, which is produced on an industrial scale in Syria and trafficked via Iraq to Saudi Arabia and other oil-rich Gulf states, where it has gained notorious popularity.
Last month, Iraqi security forces discovered a Captagon production factory in Muthanna governorate in southern Iraq for the first time in the country.
The Iraqi Ministry of Interior mentioned in a statement that the factory is prepared to manufacture the narcotic Captagon pills, with raw materials estimated at more than 27 kilograms.
Reports mentioned that Iraq has long been a transit country for Captagon, the amphetamine-like stimulant plaguing the Middle East, but officials say it has also become a consumer market for the drug.