MAKKAH: Thirty percent of male middle school students and 23 percent of female students take some form of drugs, a recent scientific study from the National Center for Youth Research confirmed.

The study shows drug consumption rates among students in this age group has increased in Jazan and surrounding areas, as well as the northern border and Makkah regions. In a survey carried out by Al-Madinah newspaper about causes of such increased rates of drug use among young students, teachers and school directors pointed to the need for integrated efforts by the home, the community and the school to protect students in the adolescent phases, noting that friends may influence youths to take on smoking and drug use.

Raheem Al-Qurashi, a teacher, called for the need to improve and expand awareness programs and activities among middle school students in order to address the phenomenon of drug abuse, while the deputy director for student’s affairs at Al-Faisal bin Ayed High School in Makkah, Ibrahim bin Saeed Al-Harthy, described this period “as a critical and a transitional period from childhood to teenage-hood and adulthood.” Meanwhile, general director of Kafa Association for Awareness about the Harmful Effects of Drugs and Smoking in Makkah, Dr. Salah bin Mohammed Al-Sheikh, urged families to take precautions and closely monitor their children due to the increase in the sale and trade of drugs like Captagon. He said such pills are falsely marketed as improving concentration and the ability to study, but in reality lead to addiction.

He urged families to watch their children’s’ behaviors closely inside and outside the home.

Director of Preventative and Anti-Drug Affairs in Makkah Maj. Nasser bin Yousef Al-Zahrani revealed a program has been designed to protect youths against the “dangers of drugs” via different awareness platforms, including direct and indirect messages. He quoted the words of the late Crown Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz in stating that the “war on drugs” is more severe than any war and more dangerous than volcanoes and earthquakes, which have short-term consequences.

He said a program for awareness against drugs, called “Don’t try, you mean a lot to us,” has been set up and targets younger students and their parents.