By Anwar al-Ziadat -- AKEED

The Tabarbour murder has established a direct connection between "Joker" and death when a 28-year-old man murdered his mother. "Joker" is a drug that has recently spread in Jordan and most other Arab countries. It is described as synthetic hashish, and is proven to have detrimental effects. What information have media outlets offered to the public on this substance?

The Jordanian Media Credibility Monitor (AKEED) has observed that local media outlets took note, at an early stage, of the danger of this type of synthetic drugs and published long reports on this new killer. Some of these reports were produced by these outlets themselves, while others were taken from local or Arab media outlets that are interested in Jordanian affairs.

Despite the element of sensationalism in the published material, these news reports contained educational and scientific information, quoting specialists, about the composition of "Joker" and its effects on one"s body and mind, as well as its effects on society.

Local media, particularly newspapers and electronic sites, started publishing news reports about "Joker" drug more than two years and a half ago. One of the early reports carried the headline "New Details About Cheap Drugs…Herbs Used To Produce it Still Unknown; Killer Joker Costs 1 Dinar and Sold for 30."  The report provided details about the sale, prices, places, and the common names for this type of drugs and some of its harmful effects. It also quoted security sources, which said then that what makes this type of drugs more dangerous is that it is possible to place it in packages of legal products. The sources said that over several months, the Anti-Narcotics Department had examined some products that carried the name "ICE Dragon," which is originally a legal product, but it turned out that some samples had contained "Joker."

On 13 May 2015, media outlets published an important news report on the subject titled "Adding "Joker" to the List of Narcotic Drugs." According to the report, the Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA) announced that after coordination with the concerned agencies at the Public Security Directorate and other relevant entities, the prime minister agreed to add "Joker" to the tables of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances in Law No. 11 of 1988 and its amendments. This law grants the competent agencies and security courts the power to hand down the most severe penalties against people who traffic in this substance, as the JFDA said in its statement.

In a post on its website, the JFDA said that "Joker" contains herbs of unknown origin, which are mixed with chemical compounds that are manufactured to produce an effect that is similar to that of substances produced by cannabis and natural grass. These substances are poisonous and hazardous for users. They also have effects on the heart and the nervous system, besides leading to seizures that could result in poisoning as a result of turning into other poisonous and unknown substances.

On 26 November 2015, some local newspapers and electronic sites republished a report by an Arabic-language newspaper about "Joker" in Jordan headlined "What Is "Joker" Hashish?" The report noted that chemical substances, which quickly dissolve in fats and brain tissues, most often affect the brain and cause temporary insanity, besides paralysis.

Media outlets also covered numerous consequences of using "Joker," including social and security consequences, in some neighborhoods of Amman. A report was published under the headline Dismantling Two Primitive Factories of Narcotic Drug "Joker" in Sahab. The report said that a number of local community activists in southern Amman came under "attacks and threats" after launching an awareness-raising campaign to combat the plague of drugs. This followed a security campaign by the Anti-Narcotics Department that targeted two "primitive" factories for manufacturing Joker (synthetic hashish) in the city of Sahab.

Another notable example of the interest of the media in the social effects of "Joker" was a report under the headline "Joker and Curse of Addiction…Tearing Society Apart From Within." It was a comprehensive report, which quoted Dr. Jamal Anani, head of the National Center for Rehabilitation of Addicts, as saying that the age group targeted by the synthetic hashish (Joker) is between 12 and 25 years, which is the group of teenagers, schoolchildren, and university students. He said that all stages of treatment offered to Jordanians are free and are provided in complete confidentiality, which is guaranteed by the Jordanian Health Law.

External media outlets covered "Joker" as a Jordanian affair. This includes a report by Al Jazeera, which was headlined "Joker, Hashish Contains Rat Poison and Threatens Jordan." The report described how "Joker" infiltrated Arab states three years ago, saying that it contains powder, tobacco, and rat poison. In addition, it contains 600 substances, including herbs and chemicals.  

AKEED observed that other Arab media outlets showed interest in the subject of "Joker" in Jordan. This includes the following reports: "Drugs Killing Jordanian Youth and Infiltrating Through Joker Hookah," "Joker…Synthetic Drugs in the Form of Incense…Imminent Danger to Youth," and "Joker Manipulates Life of Jordanians."   

We should note here that media interest in this issue was not confined to Jordan; it included many other Arab states (see the following reports): "Synthetic Drugs Disaster Destroying Minds of Arabs," ""Devil" and "Spicy" Eclipse Heroin and Cocaine," "Dubai Police Say "Spice" More Dangerous Than Hashish and Cocaine." Meanwhile, Euro News Arabic published a report headlined "New Synthetic Drugs: Legal, But Lethal," which noted that this type of drugs killed 115 persons in 2015 in the United Kingdom.

AKEED called Dr. Abdelhamed Al-Ali, consultant psychiatrist at Al-Rashid Hospital Center, in order to confirm the accuracy of some of the published scientific information.  He said that "Joker" is a synthetic drug that requires synthetic chemical substances, such as insecticides, pesticides, acetone, and other substances. However, this basically depends on arriving at a chemical formula so that its composition will be effective. He agreed with what was published in the media to the effect that "Joker" and "synthetic drugs" have a direct effect on the nervous system, besides their effects on physical health, which could cause a heart attack for users. They could also cause hallucinations and sometimes fearful delusions, and reflect on the behavior of users.

Observations on Media Performance

AKEED called Brigadier General Anwar Tarawneh, director of the Anti-Narcotics Department at the Public Security Directorate, to talk about his assessment of the role of the media in facing drugs in general, and "Joker" in particular. Tarawneh said that the media played a positive role in educating people about the problem by raising awareness about the danger of drugs to users in particular and their negative effect on society. He said that awareness-raising is one of the main pillars of the strategy of the Public Security in combating drugs.

He called for observing accuracy when reporting information and going back to reliable sources to obtain information, especially when this information contains data and figures. He stressed that there is no need for exaggerating matters related to such issues. Tarawneh said that a news story is like a bullet, which cannot be undone once it is fired. He noted that in many cases, denying incorrect news after publishing it is useless and might have a negative effect as some people believe that the denial is meant to hide the truth.  

He pointed out that some news stories are incomplete and do not answer all the questions that cross citizens" minds. For example, where do seized drugs go? Sometimes, a story is published about a drug bust without referring to the perpetrator of the crime, which confuses people.

Apparently, concepts are confused sometimes and incorrect judgments are passed. For example, some people describe the spread of drugs in Jordan as a phenomenon in that Jordan has become a destination for drugs. However, the truth is that, according to international classifications, Jordan is only a transit country. These terms are used on the basis of international figures, statistics, and standards.

On the media hype over "Joker," he said: There is no negative effect. In fact, this makes people more careful, especially parents, who seek to protect their children against this danger. He said that the danger lies in closed chatrooms, and not news sites, or even social media sites.