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29 March 2024

Abuse of over-the-counter drugs widespread among UAE varsity students

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By Staff

Drug-like substances which are not banned under existing laws in the UAE are widely used by university students and this should prompt authorities to enact laws to ban these products, Dubai’s counter-drug chief has said.

Major General Abdul Jalil Mohammed Al Asmawi, director general of the counter-drugs department in Dubai’s police, a large number of these products are marketed locally in the absence of laws to curb their use.

“These substances are attracting university students in the country but, thanks God, they have not spread to schools,” He said during a meeting held in Dubai this week at the counter-drugs department to discuss anti-narcotics strategies.

“This should prompt authorities to act swiftly to control these products by enacting laws to include them among the banned drug products.”

He said the use of such substances in the UAE has largely increased over the past years, adding that they “pose a threat to our children.”

Asmawi did not specify those products, many of which are imported into Dubai, which has remained a target for international drug gangs taking advantage of the emirate’s strategic location and position as the region’s transshipment centre.