CAIRO

Egypt’s Health Ministry on Monday officially banned several types of “synthetic” hashish.

According to a ministry statement, the ban applies to six “extremely addictive” substances found in artificial hashish, which has recently become popular among Egyptian youth.

The ministry refrained from providing the technical names of the newly-banned substances.

Egyptian law draws a sharp distinction between drug use and drug trafficking.

While the former is punishable with a one-year jail term, the latter can lead to 25 years behind bars.

A byproduct of the cannabis plant, hashish is typically consumed through pipes or specially-rolled cigarettes, giving the user a feeling of lightheadedness or euphoria.