RIYADH – Saudi Arabia intends to launch a major campaign to enlighten the public – mostly women and children – about the danger posed by drugs. "It will be an intensive campaign tantamount to the effort for preventing drug smuggling and trafficking," said Dr. Ahmed Al-Salim, undersecretary at the Interior Ministry and member of the National Committee for Combating Drugs. The move comes after a report revealed that the country's drug enforcement agencies have seized 21 million amphetamine tablets during the first half of this Hijri year in addition to other drugs and narcotic substances, said Al-Hayat Arabic daily. The Kingdom's new war against drugs will have four dimensions: Educate people about the dangerous effects of drugs; fight at local level; participation in treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts; and cooperation at Arab and international levels, the official explained. The National Project to Protect Against Drugs (Nabras) will take up the mission of enlightening the public against the danger of drugs and protecting them from its menace. It will also support security agencies and customs officials to confront drug smuggling and trafficking. Nabras has been conducting drug awareness programs across the Kingdom. "Those who take drugs in the early ages of their lives are likely to become addicts," Al-Salim said quoting results of recent scientific studies on the issue. The organization recently announced its plan to hold 13 training programs for children aged between 6 and 10 in different regions of the Kingdom. The National Committee for Combating Drugs will organize 12 training programs this month. Nabras has introduced another program with the support of sports stars to create awareness about drugs, targeting children aged between 10 and 15. The program will have 16 episodes featuring sports stars who will interact with six children in every episode. "This program will be aired on Saudi Sports Channel during the sports season," the official said. Nabras will also organize 100 educational programs targeting 9,000 women in addition to 50 programs including lectures and mobile exhibitions at shopping malls, targeting women. One year after the formation of Nabras, the National Center for Addiction Consultancy has achieved 1,955 successes as it carried out 4,543 compulsory treatments, provided guidance to more than 26,000 people and designed 864 family programs. The center dealt with 4,396 emergency cases at government hospitals and 532 at private hospitals. Nabras organized 35 training programs benefiting 3,116 people and 19 programs for young men and women benefiting 3,209 in nine regions. Nabras makes use of 180 authorized trainees. The official said Nabras has contracted with 17 training centers across the Kingdom to educate trainers as part of its efforts to crush the spread of drug menace. "We aim at developing skills of the national cadre to take up this important national mission efficiently," he added. Nabras' training programs target students of intermediate and secondary schools and universities as well as teachers, media persons and mosque imams and khateebs. It will also train health officials, civil servants, military officers and experts in the private sector.
