The ministries of health and education are not doing enough to rehabilitate Emirati drug addicts and this is resulting in the return of most of them to the use of narcotics once they are out of jail, Dubai’s deputy police chief has said.
Major General Khamis Matar Al Mizainah said 175 Emiratis were arrested in the first half of 2011 in connection with drug abuse, nearly a third of a total of 519 people seized in the emirate in such cases.
Quoted by the Dubai-based Emarat Alyoum Arabic language daily, Muzainah said a large number of the arrested Emiratis returned to drug addiction once they are released out of prison after spending their jail term.
“There are no fears of a sharp increase in the number of Emiratis abusing drugs because many of those arrested include former prisoners who returned to drugs once they are out of jail…some of them died of overdose because they thought their bodies could take more drugs after they stopped drug abuse while in jail…those included one who died just two days after he was freed,” he said.
“I believe some parties are to blame for this problem….we can not blame the ministry of interior because its role is confined to seizing drug dealers and creating a deterrent among narcotic criminals…..rehabilitation, treatment, creating awareness and psychological supervision are the responsibility of the ministries of health and education…we should also not forget the family role.”
Muzainah said dealers are now distributing new types of drugs targeting mainly school students, adding that gangs try to persuade the school boys that such drugs will stimulate their minds and provide their bodies with more energy.
“I say again that there is a failure by some parties in providing the necessary health, psychological and social support for drug addicts so they can stop this habit…the ministry of interior can not shoulder all burdens as it struggles to catch dealers, block loopholes for smuggling and reduce drug supply,” he said.
“In return, the ministry of health must shoulder its responsibility in the health and psychological rehabilitation process to achieve what it known as a reduction in demand for drugs…unfortunately, there are no proper rehabilitation programmes that will contribute to reducing demand and addiction among Emiratis…as for families, most of them do not play the required role in helping their addict sons so they can quit this destructive habit…many families deal with their sons as criminals or patients with infectious diseases and this is only pushing the addicts to indulging more in drug abuse.”