based Kafa Society for Creating Awareness of the Harm of Smoking and Drugs has warned students and parents against the spread of captagon tablets and other hallucinating drugs during the examination period which started Saturday. It said drug peddlers find this period to be an opportune time to introduce their products to students at cheaper prices. “They may even offer these drugs for free so that students develop the habit of using them which will benefit these traders in the long run,” Kafa warned. About four million boys and girls are writing their first semester examinations. The Kafa society has approached the authorities to demand increased patrolling near schools and places where students normally gather during exams to prevent them from falling prey to drug traders. It also commended Ministry of Interior personnel for their efforts to combat smuggling, and the trade and use of narcotics. Security forces periodically seize large quantities of drugs at the Kingdom's entry points. Abdullah Bin Hasan Sorooji, Kafa's Executive Director, said field observations have confirmed that drug peddlers are attempting to lure young people, often giving them tablets for free aiming to win them as future customers. He said this is a “warning sign”, especially with the increased rate of smoking among pupils which is considered “the beginning of deviation” for many of them. Educating students about smoking and drugs is not merely the job of educators and school principals. “Parents must oversee their children, particularly during the exam period,” he said. Dr. Abdullah Bin Muhammad Al-Sharqi, a psychiatric consultant working with the Anti-Drug National Committee, also urged students to keep away from captagon tablets. “They are no less dangerous than hashish and heroin,” he said.
