Dubai: A mother handed over her 18-year-old son to Dubai Police to help him wean away from drug addiction, police said on Monday.
Colonel Juma Sultan Al Shamsi, director of Awareness and Prevention section in Anti-Narcotic Department at Dubai Police, said: “The mother visited our department and asked officers to save her son’s life after she found out he had been taking illegal drugs with friends. She claimed that her son’s friends dragged him to drug addiction,” Colonel Al Shamsi said.
Colonel Al Shamsi said that the woman’s son became drug addict because there was no parental monitoring. “She confessed that she didn’t monitor the son’s activities as she got divorce from his father, who was also a drug addict. She sought our help and counsellors from the department sat with the young man, who underwent regular medical check-ups.”
According to Colonel Al Shamsi, the UAE’s drugs law gives parents the right to protect their children by placing them in rehabilitation centres.
“The law is a positive step towards tackling the narcotics issue. The law focuses on developing policies on prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, which will turn around the lives of many drug users.”
However, the new law prohibited a criminal case being brought against drug users if they, or their family, notify a drug treatment unit.
“If a drug user is handed over by his family to a rehabilitation centre, police or prosecutors, he faces no penalty and will remain under treatment until the centre decides he can be discharged. This law gives the parents a major role in protecting their children against drug abuse,” Colonel Al Shamsi added.
