Need drug rehab? Approach the police without hesitation

Dubai - The Dubai Police's Anti-Narcotics dept assisted several people for drug addiction

Police authorities at the Dubai International Airport arrested three women who were returning from a European country, after finding narcotic pills forbidden in the UAE.
The narcotic substance, to be used only on medical prescription, was found in their bags.
During the police interrogation, two of them said they were working in a company and the third one is a student. Although they confessed to taking the pills, they stressed they were not aware of its dangers or that it is a banned substance.
The women said it was the first time they were involved in such an act. Their parents were informed by the security awareness department so that they could learn about the circumstances that led them to use these pills. A case study will also be prepared on their social and psychological conditions, to try and keep them away from the dangers of drug use.
According to their confession, the girls said they travelled alone to one of the countries and used these pills without a prescription, for alleviating pain. They became addicted and brought a number of pills before returning to the UAE.
The Dubai Police's General Department of Anti-Narcotics assisted several people who want to be treated for drug addiction.
In one such case, they received a call from a GCC wife who reported her husband has become addicted to narcotic pills and asked them to intervene.
After anti-narcotics staff contacted the husband and offered help, he expressed his willingness to quit drugs, especially as it was his first time using drugs after falling into bad company.
The anti-narcotics wing also helped an Arab citizen aged 47, who requested help with alcohol addiction treatment. He was transferred to a rehab centre.
In another noteworthy incident, an official revealed the case of a 16-year-old GCC teenager who was severely drug addicted. He had been taking drugs for two years before his arrest, after first seeing his uncle taking pills.
Wanting to experience the thrills of substance use soon turned him into a hardcore addict. He was arrested when the police carried out an ambush to arrest a drug dealer. After the boy was interrogated, the police informed his father. The latter could not believe his son had been in the throes of addiction for two years without his knowledge and that the uncle had hidden it from him as well.
The Anti-Narcotics department has received numerous calls from parents, reporting their children's addiction. Under Article 43 of the Anti-Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Law, drug users can go for treatment if they approach the police, instead of being sent to jail. The person will face legal action if they approach the addiction treatment unit or go to the public prosecution requesting treatment, instead of going to the police.
amira@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai