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A highly addictive stimulant known as captagon that’s been popular in the Middle East for years has drawn fresh attention as efforts ramp up to stamp out the illegal trade. In 2023, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken grouped it with other synthetic drugs including fentanyl in the US and ketamine in Asia as targets for global action. Sometimes called the poor man’s cocaine, captagon is popular with all kinds of people, from teenagers studying for exams to construction workers on long shifts. The US, UK and others accuse the Assad regime in Syria and its ally, the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, of producing and trafficking captagon as a money spinner. Syrian President Bashar Assad, who denies any involvement with the trade, seems to be angling for relief from Western sanctions for his war-ravaged economy in return for his cooperation.

It’s an amphetamine-type substance like speed that can trigger a boost in energy and alertness as well as a sense of euphoria or invincibility. The drug first appeared in the early 1960s in Germany as an authorized pharmaceutical under the trade name Captagon. Its main ingredient was fenethylline — a central-nervous system stimulant — and it was prescribed for a range of conditions including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. It was banned in most countries in the 1980s because of concerns about its highly addictive nature and other side effects. Because it’s easy to make, illicit production took off in southern Europe and shifted to Lebanon and then Syria in the 2000s. While the official brand name no longer exists, today’s captagon (with a lowercase c) tablets are still stamped with its logo — two half circles. They may contain a wide range of substances, including fenethylline, amphetamine and caffeine, according to the US State Department.

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