Having visited Egypt twice now, I have learned much about the culture there, especially in the area of addiction. Recently, I read an article about an arrest of a British woman who was carrying a lot of Tramadol, a widely abused drug in Egypt. Tramadol is cheap and accessible.
Drug laws in Egypt are very strict as this woman could’ve received a 10 year sentence or even the death penalty. Her attorney argues that she did not know that the drug was a “narcotic” and only thought it was a “pain killer.” When I read that, I thought: “That’s what a narcotic is – a pain killer.” The comment from the attorney demonstrates how the world has accepted ‘pain killers’ as commonplace and acceptable. No wonder we have an opioid crisis worldwide (especially in the U.S.) with this type of attitude.
The attorney also said she “only” had 320 pills. That’s a lot of pills. The British woman also testified on the stand that she intended to sell the pills but her attorney argues that she did not mean to answer that way because she misunderstood the question. She thought she was answering ‘yes’ to possessing the pills not distributing the pills, according to the attorney; however, that’s not what she said in court. It is sad indeed. I feel sad for this woman and her family; nevertheless, the situation looks very bleak for her. I hope it is a terrible mistake but in the world of drug abuse, deception is king. It is difficult for the authorities to know the truth with all of the lies swirling around every addiction case. This case looks terrible on the surface for this British woman.
My hope in a situation like this is that the persons involved cry out to Jesus, not just to get them out of a bad situation but for eternal life through the confession of sin and repentance.
-Mark (drug addiction continues to be a worldwide issue and it’s not going away)