Dubai Police reveal most common teen drugs

Medical pills, which give the same high like traditional drugs, topped the list of most common drugs that are being consumed, not only in the region, but worldwide, according to top Dubai Police officials.

Speaking to Emirates24|7, Major- General Khalil Ebrahim Al Mansouri, Assistant to the Dubai Police Chief for Criminal Investigation Affairs, said they have launched a campaign in schools to spread awareness among students about the dangers of being addicted on medicines, which gives the same high like traditional drugs. “We are aiming to cut down the consumption of such drugs by 10 per cent by the end of the campaign, and hopefully, we will achieve this.”

Maj.-Gen. Al Mansouri added: “Consuming medicines to get a high like using drugs has been wrongly practised since many years. Today, teenagers mix different medicines to get the same high like the tradition drugs. This is dangerous as it can not only lead to addiction to these medicines, but can also lead to these teenagers seeking traditional drugs.”

He called on parents to pay more attention to their children, especially teenagers. “They should also know their children’s friends very well and ensure they are good. They should pay attention to the age-group of their children’s friends. For example, if your son is 12 years old, why should he have a 16-year-old friend? Parents must ensure their children’s friends are of similar age group and not older.”

Similarly, parents should pay close attention to their children’s attitude, he explained. “If they start isolating themselves away from family members or friends, then parents should find out the reason. They shouldn’t ignore such signs.”

Colonel Eid Thani Hareb, Director of Dubai Police Anti-Narcotics Department, told this website that most children in their early teens - 13 years and above – are loyal to their friends not to their family. “This, unfortunately, is the case among many teenagers. Thus, it is very important for parents to know with whom their children hang out with.

Col. Hareb said the Dubai Police has strong cooperation with different authorities in the country and abroad to fight drugs. “We are working closely with the Ministry of Interior and many international organisations to fight drugs. This cooperation is in the form of exchange of information about drug smuggling gangs and operations. We are also involved in the big international operations to bust drugs dealers and operations. At the end of the day, we are all working hard and closely to save society from the dangers of drugs, addictions and all other problems that it leads to.”

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