Spanish Doctors Warn of ’Karkoubi’: Dangerous Moroccan Drug Targeting Youth

The scientific society has alerted to the consumption of karkoubi during the 30th National Congress of General and Family Medicine held on Friday, emphasizing the possible side effects and its serious consequences on the health of young people. Karkoubi is a hallucinogenic drug originating from Morocco resulting from the combination of Rivotril (clonazepam), a powerful anxiolytic, and Phenobarbital, an anti-epileptic, two drugs available in pharmacies, to which are added other substances such as hashish, alcohol and glue, informs Huffpost.

"These are not new drugs, but they are used by organized gangs who obtain them through illegal prescriptions and then resell them on the illegal market," explains the society in its press release, adding that karkoubi or "drug of the poor" is a danger to public health due to its accessibility on the black market. The pill costs between 3 and 5 euros, but its effects are devastating. "Don’t be fooled by its low price. It’s just as dangerous as any other substance," the Spanish National Police said on their TikTok account.

Consuming karkoubi can generate dangerous hallucinations. Its ingestion can cause "amnesia, increased aggression and can lead to serious intoxications, even coma" and suicide, warns the society.