Rabat – In recent weeks, Morocco has been grappling with a deadly epidemic known as “L’Poufa” or “Boufa,” a highly addictive and dangerous form of crack cocaine that has tightened its grip on the country’s youth.
Regarded as the “drug of the poor” due to its low cost, with one gram priced at MAD 50 ($5.1), L’Poufa was once limited to the streets and disadvantaged areas. However, it has now infiltrated schools and even teenage gatherings, becoming a menace silently destroying the lives of adolescents and young people.
L’Poufa is a homemade, highly addictive drug prepared from the remains of cocaine and ammonia, resulting in a solid, even crystalline form.
Users typically inhale the drug by smoking the crystalline rocks in discreet makeshift pipes, often made from pen tubes.
Moroccan health experts and educators have sounded the alarm, calling for urgent action to combat the rise of L’Poufa and protect Moroccan youth from the dangerous path of addiction.
Moroccan psychiatrist and health consultant Loubna Bahaouli spoke about the dangers of the drug during an episode of the TV show Sabahiyate on Moroccan channel 2M.
Bahaouli explained that the drug has intense effects, rapidly impacting the brain by producing an intense and immediate feeling of euphoria and increasing dopamine levels.
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However, the feeling is short-lived, reinforcing the desire to use the drug again and eventually leading to addiction.
As the effects of L’Poufa wear off, users experience severe withdrawal symptoms, ranging from paranoia, depression, anxiety, and chronic fatigue, she warned. This puts a toll on the addicts’ mental and physical health as they enter a vicious cycle that is hard to break.
The psychiatrist called for urgent action to combat the rising crack epidemic, emphasizing the crucial role parents and educators can play in raising awareness among children from a young age about the dangers of the drug and its consequences.
Online campaign
Likewise, Moroccan social media users have launched an online campaign to raise awareness about L’Poufa’s impact on the country’s youth and stand against the spread of the drug.
The hashtag #Together_We_Stand_Against_L’Poufa in Arabic went viral on Twitter, with users calling for urgent action against the crack epidemic.
In addition, heartbreaking videos of L’Poufa addicts have surfaced on the internet, further raising concerns about this deadly and destructive addiction.
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الله يعفوا على الجميع #البوفا pic.twitter.com/C3t72IxRZM— لَمْدَوَّخْ (@uyhv_) July 18, 2023
Many concerned citizens and parents have called on authorities to implement strict measures to stop the spread of the drug.
“The government should wake up from its coma and end its vacation, as the issue is greater than civil society,” said a Twitter user, urging authorities to address the ongoing L’Poufa crisis.
Police in the city of Mohammedia arrested on Sunday a 24-year-old for the possession and trafficking of L’Poufa. They found in his possession 200 grams of the drug, bottles used for the consumption of the drug, 20 doses of cocaine, 67 psychotropic tablets, and a set of edged weapons.
However, citizens are calling on authorities to take more decisive actions and address the root causes of the drug’s entry and circulation within the country.
