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In 1998 the antiretroviral drug efavirenz was approved for treatment
of HIV infection, though the drug was highly effective, patients soon
began to report bizarre dreams, hallucinations, and feelings of
unreality. When South African tabloids started to run stories of
efavirenz motivated rapes and robberies scientists began to seriously
study how efavirenz might produce these unexpected hallucinogenic
effects. Hamilton Morris travels to South Africa to interview
efavirenz users and dealers and study how the life-saving medicine
came to become part of a dangerous cocktail called nyaope.

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