JEDDAH, 20 December 2002 — Heroin, hashish and narcotic pills are the most commonly used drugs in Saudi Arabia where narcotics abuse is still prevalent despite the government’s efforts to contain the menace.
Maj. Gen Sultan Al-Harithi, director general of the country’s anti-narcotics department, disclosed this in an interview to Okaz newspaper.
“These are the most dangerous of all drugs. Users get hooked to these from the very first dose. They have dangerous side effects that might lead to death,” he said.
Drug addiction is a worldwide problem with negative social and economic ramifications, he said, adding that in the Kingdom, “we consider it a phenomenon, not a menace.”
“Our government has been fighting drugs for a long time. Drug abuse is a crime against our Islamic culture. The drug scene in Saudi Arabia is not, however, as dangerous as it is in other countries,” he said.
“We are aware of the problem and are doing our best to hunt down drug dealers. This should help contain the problem in our country and hopefully, it will slowly disappear.”
Al-Harithi said parental neglect is one of the main reasons for drug addiction among the youth. The parents are not educating their children about this dangerous habit. Lack of self-confidence, introversion and psychological illness are also causative factors. Domestic disharmony affects children adversely. Bad friends are also a prime reason, especially when these friends have nothing to do in their leisure time and have an abundance of cash.
“We are doing our best to deal with the problem, first through preventive and curative means, and by fighting the problem on the streets. Many of our officers have died in the line of duty,” Al-Harithi explained.
“Other government forces, such as the Coast Guard and Customs Department, are working in tandem to monitor all entry and exit points. We are putting up a strong barrier against narcotics dealers from smuggling drugs into the country.
“Drug dealers, pushers, smugglers and addicts form a well-connected chain. If one of these links is snapped the other rings are disabled. If we help cure all drug addicts, dealers cannot market their drugs any more. If we destroy the drug farms, smugglers will cease to exist. We need to strengthen our alliance with the international community in this battle against drugs.”
Al-Harithi said the Kingdom has a severe punishment system for those who deal in drugs.“We cure those who need help. The purpose of our operations is to destroy drugs in all their forms and at all levels of trafficking.”
He said rehabilitation of drug addicts “is our top priority.”
“There are officers responsible for curing and rehabilitating the addicts. We have three specialized hospitals in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam to treat the addicts, reintegrate them back into mainstream society and help them back into normal life.”
He said all information about drug addicts are kept secret. “They will never be questioned or punished since they are the victims of a malady.”
He said many addicts have kicked the habit through a national program of self-help. Over 3,700 people are now cured and they work in the hospitals helping others to rid themselves of addiction. They help create an awareness of the dangers of drug abuse, he said. Al-Harithi said the Kingdom has a four-pronged strategy to fight the drug problem.
They involve regular preventive awareness campaigns, fighting the problem locally, curing the addicts and local and international cooperation in the drug fight.
