LOWER HOUSE TO DISCUSS DRUG ABUSE, ITS IMPACT ON SOCIETY

AMMAN - The Lower House is scheduled to convene today to discuss drug
abuse and its impact on the community in response to a memorandum
signed by 11 MPs.

According to a government report submitted to lawmakers, authorities
processed 2,699 drug-related cases during the past 12 months, 540 of
them trafficking cases, and 2,159 possession and addiction cases.

Authorities apprehended 4,031 Jordanian dealers, of whom 56 were
women, and 600 foreigners, including 30 females.

In 2008, authorities seized various drugs including hashish,
marijuana, cocaine and heroin.

In addition, more than 200 drug addicts were referred to
rehabilitation programmes, according to the report.

MP Salah Zu'bi, who signed the memorandum, said deputies will urge the
government to set up mechanisms to prevent drug abuse in addition to
establishing modern rehabilitation and treatment centres to deal with
addicts.

Lawmakers will also meet in a special session on Tuesday to discuss
higher education in the Kingdom.

According to deputies who signed a memo requesting to discuss the
issue, they will focus on the quality of the higher education graduates.

"We will also tackle the issue of the country's private universities,
which run on a commercial basis regardless of graduates' quality," MP
Mubarak Abu Yameen told The Jordan Times.

He added that MPs will also address violence in the country's
universities, which has become a phenomenon.