RIYADH: A number of experts have stressed the importance of conducting pre-marital drug tests for marriage seekers, and its inclusion in the “healthy marriage” program, according to local media.
The tests will contribute to detecting addiction cases before the marriage becomes official, a matter that will lay down proper principles for family building as early as possible, they said.
The head of the women’s program at the National Committee for Combating Drugs (Nibras), Hana Al-Firaih, said drugs have become a problem that necessitates concerted efforts to tackle the phenomenon.
A decision to include drug testing before marriage is considered a step which will lead to early detection of abusers and addicts, she said. She confirmed that the Nibras project is working on activating the role of the family in the face of the drug phenomenon, and the women’s commission has provided many programs to raise awareness of harmful effects of drugs.
She added that they have provided training programs for 700 volunteers as well as educational programs for more than 2,000 children from all regions of the Kingdom.
Abdulrahman Al-Qarash, a member of the Family Safety Program, said that many problems occur due to drugs, especially among newly wed couples as they start their life together with lies, when the wife discovers that the husband is a drug addict, and that leads to many problems.
Al-Qarash stressed the necessity of pre-marital drug testing since it is intended to protect the family, which is the nucleus of any community.
In this context, Abdul Ilah Al-Sharif, the Nibras secretary-general, said the Addiction Consulting Center had received more than 23,000 calls during the year from families of addicts who were asking for treatment programs and guidance.
The drug addiction has become a serious problem that needs to be controlled, according to Al-Sharif.
Pre-marital drug tests stressed to protect families, community
Pre-marital drug tests stressed to protect families, community
