Substance Use and Misuse in Jordan: A Scoping Review of the Empirical Literature, 2013–2026
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Jordan has experienced a rapidly evolving substance use and trafficking landscape over the past decade, which has been shaped by regional instability, the expansion of Captagon and crystal methamphetamine trafficking routes, and shifting legal and health-system responses under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law No. 23 of 2016 (as amended). Despite this evolving context, no recent review has systematically mapped the empirical research literature (epidemiological, clinical, and qualitative) describing substance use and misuse in Jordan. This scoping review will map the full range of available empirical evidence on substance use and misuse in Jordan, including quantitative prevalence studies, qualitative research on user experiences, pharmacy practice surveys, and forensic case series, while drawing on national strategic and legal documents for contextual grounding. The review is conducted in accordance with JBI methodology for scoping reviews (Peters et al., 2020) and will be reported following PRISMA-ScR (Tricco et al., 2018). Using the Population, Concept, Context (PCC) framework, the review question is: what is the extent, range and nature of the empirical research evidence on substance use and misuse (Concept) among general-population, clinical and institutionally-defined groups in Jordan (Population, Context), and what evidence gaps exist within this literature? Expected outcomes include a thematic mapping of the evidence base across five domains — epidemiology, substance-specific use patterns, vulnerable populations, the trafficking-legal context, and treatment/harm reduction responses — along with identification of key evidence gaps and priorities for future research to inform Jordan's national mental health and substance use programming.
Authors: Rand Shahin, Saja Alnahar, Khaldoon Azzam
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7204105212