The use of dangerous, illegal drugs has increased since the recent arrival of new, powerful psychedelics into the society. A synthetic product of particular concern is called “Vodo." It contains substances called atropine, hyosciamine, and hyoscine. So what is Vodo exactly? Vodo is a plant and its leaves are characterised by a light green colour that are ingested by smoking. The plant itself naturally grows on the African continent and the raw material is processed and imported from European countries and the US The final product acts as a highly addictive nervous system stimulant. Users suffer from congestion, severe redness in the face, rattled voice, and audio and visual hallucinations. Addiction usually results. The product is packaged for about LE250 to LE300 at a rate of LE85 per gramme. Written on the bottom of the bags is a statement indicating that it is not valid for human use. The presence of the label makes the selling and distribution possible. It is smuggled through the western desert areas that border Libya and the Sinai desert, and until recently, it was restricted to areas such as Nasr city, El- Mohandseen, and Alexandria, but it can now be found in many other areas. One of the clinicians at an asylum that treats addiction patients confirms that addicts suffer from general weakness and deterioration in all aspects of their health. They have great difficulty performing routine activities and functioning normally. Many Vodo addicts develop cirrhosis and eventually die. The doctor says that once a user's nose is the first organ affected, they advance to the stage of addiction. The toxins cause cancer, have an impact on blood, cause the narrowing of blood vessels and circulation can sometimes stop entirely and suddenly causing death. The doctor also reports that the substance causes a loss of appetite, which leads to dramatic weight loss, general weakness and lack of vitality, and digestive tract disorders that cause bloating and gastritis. Addicts also suffer from inflation of the liver and the erosion of millions of nerve cells, angina, hypertension and anemia. Rafaat Abdel-Hameed, a scientist who works criminal drug cases, explains that there are 45 species of prohibited drugs that are traded. He adds that smuggling cases inolving products brought from aboard include the death penalty as a punishment. According to Abdel-Hameed, although the conferences of Arab Interior Ministries are contemplating the fight against drugs globally and regionally, health officials have been unable to take decisive action against drugs like Vodo because international conventions have not been enacted. “The youth are the hope of our country, so the Government should take care of them," Ali Aboud, student at Cairo University, told The Egyptian Gazette. “After the January 25 Revolution, most young men stopped taking drugs because they realised the importance of helping their country rebuild. Therefore, we must unite against the drugs, raise public awarerness, and have debates to teach people about the dangers of drug use," Aboud added.
