A study by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) revealed that Egyptians spent LE13.8 billion on drugs in 2011, which is equivalent to 38.4 percent of the Suez Canal revenues, 7.6 percent of export revenues and 21.2 percent of tourism revenues.
The study says unemployment is the most important factor that leads to the addiction or trafficking of drugs, as 39.1 percent of people facing trials in drug cases are unemployed.
Unemployment rose to 13.4 percent in the fourth quarter of last year, compared with 8.9 percent in the same period in 2010 before the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak.
The study also indicated that 38.4 percent of drug cases in 2011 were in the Delta, pointing out that the number of addicts who applied for treatment at public hospitals had increased from 4,131 in 2002 to 21,499 in 2011, an increase of 420.4 percent.
