Sharjah: Parents should keep a close eye on their children as ignoring or neglecting them could lead them into drug addiction, a police official has warned.
Some 80 per cent of recovering drug addicts relapsed due to the neglect of their parents, Captain Mohammad Al Khamiri, director of the awareness and rehabilitation section at Sharjah Police’s anti-narcotics department, told Gulf News. The figure was revealed as Sharjah Police’s anti-narcotics campaign got under way. The initiative, held under the slogan ‘Be in Good Company… Say no to Drugs, yes for life’ kicked off at Sharjah Youth Centre.
Major General Humaid Mohammad Al Hudaidi, Commander–in-Chief of Sharjah Police, announced that various means are being used to make the public aware of the effects of drugs on people’s mental and physical health.
“The campaign, which has been adopted by Sharjah Police’s anti-narcotic department, aims to support parents as well as their children to discuss and discourage illicit drug use. One of the most effective deterrents is a parent who wants to spend time with them — someone who talks with them about their friends, what goes on at school, the sport they play and what interests them. The more parents and other family members get involved in children’s lives, the more positive young people will feel about themselves and the more likely they will be to respond favourably to their family’s views,” Captain Al Khamiri said.
He said specific campaign material had been developed to help young people and parents understand more about the harmful effects of illicit drug use. “Peer pressure can happen when youngsters are influenced to do something they would not normally do, or are stopped from doing something they would like to do. This may be because they want to be accepted by their peers — a peer could be a friend, someone in the community or even someone on TV.
“Suggest activities you can all enjoy for example, like going to the movies, reading, or playing sport,” he said.
The campaign, which includes a stage show depicting the life of a drug addict, aims to discourage youngsters from taking drugs. The stage show, which was produced by Captain Al Khamiri and acted by Fakher Al Waten volunteers, includes information about how to make your own choices, avoiding situations where you may become exposed to drugs, how drug use can impact your life and how to support your friends.
It features radio, print, outdoor, online and in-venue advertising. Youth marketing activities and sponsorships were also used to target youngsters.
It was recently reported that drug-related crimes had increased compared with previous years and most of the offences were carried out by Emiratis.
“Without realising it, drugs can become central to a person’s life and can affect their personal relationships, ability to study and work, mental health and quality of life,” Captain Al Khamiri said.
There are two rehabilitation centres in Sharjah where drug addicts come to seek assistance and help for their addiction, be it to alcohol, opiates or cannabis.
When a patient arrives at the centre they are assessed by a team consisting of a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a social worker and a nurse. A course of treatment is determined and a detoxification period of roughly two weeks takes place.
Captain Al Khamiri said: “The main challenge police face is the promotion of drugs over the internet and in particular on social networking sites.
“We have found a number of cargo which contained drugs, many drug dealers buy drugs via the internet and send money online, many websites promote different types of narcotic substances or controlled medicine,” he added.
Abdul Rahman Al Shamsi, a 43-year-old businessman, who experienced a difficult time with his addict son told Gulf News: “I wish the UAE authorities would follow Saudi Arabia’s example. When you arrive at the airport there is a notice at the counter warning you of the consequences and saying anyone caught in drug-related cases will be executed.”
It is enough to scare anyone, he said.
