8.2% decrease in drug users in the country in 2022 | Gulf newspaper

Dubai: Soumya Saad

Brigadier General Eid Mohammed Thani Hareb, Director of the General Department for Drug Control at Dubai Police and Chairman of the National Committee for Combating Drug Trafficking in the Control Council at the state level, revealed a decrease in the number of drug users in the country by 8.2%, and in the number of people who died as a result of drug overdose by 8.2%. 18.6% in 2022.

He stressed that there is a decrease in the number of drug users, thanks to awareness campaigns, rehabilitation programs and the application of the new law to combat narcotic substances, especially Article 89, which states that “a criminal case is not instituted against users of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances, if the user comes forward on his own, his spouse or One of his relatives up to the second degree, or whoever is in charge of his upbringing, goes to the unit, the Public Prosecution, or the police before he is arrested or before an arrest warrant is issued, requesting that he be placed for treatment at the unit, so he is deposited with it until it decides to remove him.

Eid Hareb referred to two things, which are awareness, care and rehabilitation, because they are an integral part of the confrontation operations and reducing the demand for drugs. human society, economically, socially and politically.

He stressed that these results resulted from a real partnership in the field of drug control at the global level, and serious dealing with mutual information, which contributed to sparing people the harms of this scourge, and that the wise leadership was interested in establishing centers specialized in rehabilitating drug victims and reintegrating them into society, including the National Center For rehabilitation in Abu Dhabi and Irada Center for Treatment and Rehabilitation in Dubai, which play a major role in combating this phenomenon, calling at the same time to focus on the importance of awareness, education and spreading awareness among young people, especially among students and parents.

He said that a security analysis of drug-related cases resulted in a number of criminal cases such as coercive theft, robbery and fights related to drug cases, and a number of car thefts were committed by people involved in drug cases.

He also pointed out that among the cases of absenteeism from home, traffic reports and dangerous violations, such as reckless and reckless driving, fleeing from the scene of an accident, and driving without a license, are related to drug issues, stressing that the drug phenomenon is confronted in the public administrations of drugs in various ways, including proactive control. It tracked and monitored promotional processes, and achieved remarkable results in this regard, as it caught many promoters and abusers who were involved in responding to these messages.

The Director of the General Department for Drug Control at Dubai Police stressed the importance of the efforts of family members in combating drugs, and that it is considered the first line of defense to confront this scourge and prevent its spread due to its negative impact on all members of society and all health, social, economic and security aspects. He urged schools to contribute to their role in coordination with the concerned authorities in introducing cases and methods of dealing with addicts, means of guiding them to the right path, and the importance of holding joint awareness lectures, to enhance the legal culture of youth. and growing up.