• Home

Drug use starts in boys as young as 12, says expert

Dr Ali Hassan Al Marzooqi, Director of Public Health and Research at the NRC attributes increase in number of patients to the centre's expanded services.

Boys as young as 12 are getting hooked on illicit substances, according to a rehabilitation expert. Dr Ali Hassan Al Marzooqi, Director of Public Health and Research at the National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC), said presentation age of drug abuse “starts at 12-13 years and mostly males”. He noted, however, that the number of “first start” use is declining.

Speaking on the sidelines of the first Global Forum for Youth Leaders on Drug Use Prevention on Monday, Dr Al Marzooqi said the centre has seen an increase in the number of patients but attributed this to NRC’s “expanded services” and the opening of the outpatient centre rather than an increase in drug abuse. “Most of our patients, about 60-70 per cent, are voluntary,” Dr Al Marzooqi said.

The centre now has a capacity of around 70 beds compared to 18 beds in 2010, and it operates in full capacity at times. The outpatient clinic, which serves as a follow-up centre for NRC patients, saw more than 1,000 patients last year.

Dr Al Marzooqi said a number of reasons contribute to people getting hooked on illicit substances — both personal and societal.

According to Tay Bian How, acting secretary general for Colombo Plan for Cooperative Economic and Social Development in Asia and the Pacific — which co-hosted the forum with NRC — substance abuse is a “continuous problem” around the world.

Citing the 2013 report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), he said between 167-315 million people aged 15-64 were estimated to have used an illicit substance in the preceding year.

“People now tend to use poly substance (more than one), starting from simple things like sniffing glue. They then go to prescribed or abused drugs and then all the way to heroin and morphine. Most recently we’ve noticed an increase in the use of prescribed drugs, for example Tramadol, as it’s easier and cheaper,” Dr Al Marzooqi said.

He added that relapse rate on average are between 50-60 per cent, “because most of the patients, when they leave the centre, go back to their old environment”.

About 400 youth, aged 18-27 years, from 46 countries took part in the five-day forum, which aims to develop youth leaders who can bring positive changes in their peers and communities.

olivia@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE