Regional perspectives on substance use, substance use-related problems and policy: The case of Jordan.
| Journal | Addiction (Abingdon, England) |
| Study Type | Clinical Study |
| Population | Human participants |
This item covers developments relevant to cannabis medicine and clinical practice. Clinicians monitoring evidence in this area should review the source material.
To situate Jordan within evolving Middle East and North Africa (MENA) substance-use dynamics and summarise national patterns of substance use, related harms, and policy responses, with attention to transit-to-consumption transitions, surveillance limitations, and vulnerable populations. Structured regional synthesis of government reports, peer-reviewed literature, and data from the Ministry of Health, the Anti-Narcotics Department, and international agencies. The review integrated national statistics (2019-2025) with findings from population, student, and clinical studies to outline prevalence, treatment, and regulatory contexts. Across MENA, conflict, displacement, demographic pressure, and shifting trafficking routes have coincided with expanding stimulant and pharmaceutical markets. In Jordan, a comparatively stable setting with a large youth population, available estimates suggest national substance use disorder [SUD] prevalence of ~0.9-1.7%, but substantially higher levels among s
“This is a development worth tracking. The clinical implications will become clearer as more evidence accumulates.”
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FAQ
What was this review of substance use in Jordan trying to do?
It aimed to place Jordan within changing substance use patterns across the Middle East and North Africa region. It summarized national patterns of substance use, related harms, and policy responses, with attention to shifts from drug transit to consumption, limits of surveillance, and vulnerable populations. It was published in the journal Addiction.
What sources of information did the Jordan review use?
It was a structured regional synthesis of government reports, peer-reviewed literature, and data from the Ministry of Health, the Anti-Narcotics Department, and international agencies. The review combined national statistics from 2019 to 2025 with findings from population, student, and clinical studies to outline prevalence, treatment, and regulatory contexts.
What regional trends in drug markets did the review describe?
Across the Middle East and North Africa, the review found that conflict, displacement, demographic pressure, and shifting trafficking routes have coincided with expanding stimulant and pharmaceutical markets. Jordan is described as a comparatively stable setting within this region, with a large youth population.
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