As the world has been transfixed by the opioid crisis in North America, another crisis, just as serious, has been unfolding almost unreported across Africa.

The addictive prescription painkiller Tramadol has exploded in popularity, used by everyone from workers trying to cope with long hours and grueling labor, to university students looking to have a good time. It’s even the drug of choice for members of Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram, fueling their violence.

Now, governments are threatening to crack down, using the same War on Drugs methods of repression that have failed everywhere else. And meanwhile, as counterfeit pills flood the continent, new research is questioning whether people are even taking real Tramadol at all.

In The War On Drugs, we examine the social implications of prohibition worldwide. Any attempt to shut down the trade in drugs such as heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, ketamine or weed invariably sets off a chain of events that just makes things worse, leaving a trail of death, illness, violence, slavery, addiction, crime and inequality across the globe. Everyone loses – except, in a weird kind of way, the drugs themselves.

Watch more from this series:

This Is How We Legalize Weed
   • This is How We Legalize Weed | The Wa...  

Cartels Are Trafficking Drugs Through West Africa
   • Cartels Are Trafficking Drugs Through...  

Turning 12-Year-Olds Into Drug Dealers
   • Turning 12-Year-Olds Into Drug Dealer...  

Click here to subscribe to VICE: http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE

About VICE:
The Definitive Guide To Enlightening Information. From every corner of the planet, our immersive, caustic, ground-breaking and often bizarre stories have changed the way people think about culture, crime, art, parties, fashion, protest, the internet and other subjects that don't even have names yet. Browse the growing library and discover corners of the world you never knew existed. Welcome to VICE.

Connect with VICE:
Check out our full video catalog: http://bit.ly/VICE-Videos
Videos, daily editorial and more: http://vice.com
More videos from the VICE network: https://www.fb.com/vicevideo
Click here to get the best of VICE daily: http://bit.ly/1SquZ6v
Like VICE on Facebook: http://fb.com/vice
Follow VICE on Twitter:   / vice  
Follow us on Instagram:   / vice  

The VICE YouTube Network:
VICE:    / vice  
MUNCHIES:    / munchies  
VICE News:    / vicenews  
VICELAND:    / vicelandtv  
Broadly:    / broadly  
Noisey:    / noisey  
Motherboard:    / motherboardtv  
VICE Sports:    / noc  
i-D:    / idmagazine  
Waypoint:    / waypointvice