Saudi Gazette To help fight and eliminate the use of drugs, Governor of Jeddah, Prince Mish'al Bin Majed Bin Abdulaziz aims to build a strong wall of defense to protect his people from its ravages, which have grave consequences or at times are life-threatning. Col. Ahmad Al-Zahrani, Deputy Director General of the Jeddah to Saudi Narcotic Combating, announced that it took an year of planning to study and design the new project that will be introduced in Jeddah within days, under the name of “Partners of Narcotic Combating to increase awareness among Jeddah youth on the dangers of drugs.” Al-Zahrani told Al-Watan daily that Prince Mish'al is a strong supporter of narcotic combating and its mission to serve the society. “The vision of this new project, which will take effect in the near future, is to reach a large number of people and in all sectors of society to stop the use of drugs. The project takes on a new and creative approach that will encourage more activity from the members of society,” he said. The five goals of the proposed project are to portray the real dangers of drug abuse and its negative impact on physical and emotional health, and social life and to help people understand the prohibition of drug use in Islam. The society must also realize that consuming drugs is illegal in this country, and awareness of its side effects is being created for the public. Al-Zahrani further added, “Our most concentrated efforts will be targeted towards the age both, boys and girls between the ages of 12 and 18 years. Many awareness and training programs will also be directed toward parents, teachers, school counselors, social workers, security officials, and the Imams of the mosques in the Kingdom. Awareness campaigns are scheduled to be organized at schools, college and university campuses.” The organization has also built ‘caravans' that will drive around to public places and all educational institutes in Jeddah and spread awareness. Another innovative plan of theirs is “Olympics in Partners Against Drugs”. This program will be held at participating fitness centers in the city and will combine both, sports competitions and educational campaigns on the dangers of drugs. Activities will encourage positive behavior and will teach the youth how to make smart choices and how to say “No!” to drugs. Sports enthusiasts can compete in soccer, martial arts, swimming, bowling, and tennis. Winners and runners-up will also be awarded medals in gold, silver, and bronze. __
