Sharjah Police detect new kinds of man-made ‘cannabis’ drugs in UAE

Sharjah: Sharjah Police have discovered two new types of synthetic drugs that are twice as potent as naturally-occurring cannabis, after finding them hidden inside packaging for cosmetics.

Col Al Mazmi said the Department is the first crime lab in the UAE to be able to identify what these new types of drugs are, and the manufacturing methods used by the peddlers.

The achievement came as a result of the efforts made by the analysis team’s experiments and research practices using the latest scientific and technical methods, as well as the use of an updated database to keep pace with the rapid development in the world of manufacturing and promoting narcotic substances, he added.

Lethal potency

“Manufactured cannabinoid are synthetic compounds that can be mixed in secret laboratories. It has the same effect as cannabis, but it exceeds the effect of cannabis by 80 to 100 per cent, and its use leads to death. We affirm the readiness of the forensic laboratory in Sharjah in combating crime and drug trafficking, and dealing with developments in the field of the illegal drug industry and the different ways it is spread among the youth.”

Col Al Mazmi added that a draft law is being under process to include these substances in the latest schedule of the federal law on narcotics and psychotropic substances, pointing out the new listing will help arrest peddlers of these new drugs in the UAE.