Methamphetamine: a West-African brand

Methamphetamine is becoming the most used illegal drug in the world, after cannabis. This synthetic drug, whose use and trafficking are expanding rapidly, has the peculiarity of being the only drug to be produced in Western Africa, with cannabis. Originally intended for export, mostly to Asia, its low cost and its effects, allowing for instance to forget hunger and fatigue, are fostering the development of its consumption in the Western African sub-region. If – so far – dismantled production laboratories all lie in Nigeria, strong suspicions surround its possible manufacturing in other countries of the subregion. 

Crédit photo : vendeuse de médicaments et méthamphétamines dans la commune d’Adjamé à Abidjan (©  Jean-Baptiste Séni)