DOHA: Marking International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the General Directorate of Drug Enforcement organised various activities to create awareness on disastrous effects of drugs and narcotics.

On the occasion of International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking that falls on June 26, the General Directorate of Drug Enforcement organised many cultural and educational competitions and awareness programs aimed at spreading awareness of the dangers of drugs to all sectors of society.

The activities organized at Gulf Mall which began on Thursday and will conclude today and attracted many people especially youth. A number of brochures were distributed among people which focused on the danger of drugs and educated people more about four types of commonly consumed drugs including  Cannabis, Lyrica, Heroin and Captagon.

The impact of  drug use in terms of its consequences on health continues to be devastating. With an estimated 207400 drug-related death in 2014 corresponding to 43.5 deaths per million people ages 15 to 64.

The General Directorate of Drug Enforcement mentioned in the brochures that the possession or abuse of Captagon is considered as crime in Qatari law and also gave more details about the harmful effects of Heroin and other types of drugs which include dysfunction of brain activity and sensory perception, destruction of liver cells and cirrhosis, disorder in speech, brain and nerve damage, fast heart rate and high blood pressure and excessive sweating.

The awareness activities include many cultural and educational competitions and other programs under the theme “Listen First”.

“Observing the day came as part of the State of Qatar’s keenness to participate with the international community in the revival of the International Day against Drugs in order to raise awareness of the dangers of drugs and to explain their devastating impact on the cohesion of societies as one of the most serious causes of family disintegration,” Said Maj. Mohammed Abdullah Al Khater, Director of the Department of Studies and International Affairs at the General Directorate of Drug Enforcement.

He pointed out that the danger of drugs on the future of countries by targeting young people who represent the foundation of any society and the future of the countries. Al Khater also clarified that the State of Qatar is working to address this phenomenon from a strategic reality that includes various dimensions including focus on fight against it, preventive role and treatment side in order to establish a society free from the use of narcotics.

The United Nations theme for this year anti-drug day is “Listen First” to emphasize that listening to children and young people is the first step to help them develop healthy and safe ways to reach the goal of prevention, which is one of the most important aspects of drug control.