Drug addiction in Gaza and the illicit trafficking of tramadol

Following the december 2008 israeli offensive, a united nations survey of gaza residents found increases in risk taking behaviour, including a significant rise in cases of drug addiction.1 one drug associated with this trend is tramadol, first developed in germany during the 1970s and introduced in the 1990s as a centrally acting analgesic with properties similar to codeine and morphine and which is widely prescribed as a pain killer.2 although illegal without a prescription in some regions, tramadol is relatively easy to obtain in gaza, either with fake prescriptions from pharmacies or on the black market.