CALL FOR UNITED EFFORT TO FIGHT DRUG USE

The UAE celebrates today International Anti-Drugs Day in a festival
organised by the Ministry of Interior's anti-narcotics committee.

The ministry has also handed out anti-drugs booklets and brochures to all
anti-narcotics departments for public distribution.

Brig. Sharafuddin Mohammed Hussain, Assistant Dubai Police Chief for
Criminal Investigation, called for joint efforts to fight drugs.

"Drug awareness campaigns are a joint responsibility since drugs have bad
economic, social, and psychological impacts on society," he said.

"UN statistics have shown there are 13 million cocaine addicts, and 140
million hallucinogen addicts in the world."

Brig. Sharafuddin said that the International Anti-Drug Day must be a
reminder to every body of the dangers wrought by drugs.

The role of anti-drug campaigns must not be limited to the hunt and arrest
of narcotics traders in the country, but there must be strict controlling
measures at the country's inlets.

He said the distinguished economic status of the UAE in general, as well as
the high standard of life, have attracted the attention of narcotics traders
to promote their 'poisonous' commodity in the UAE, or to turn Dubai into a
transit point for other countries, where there is a thriving narcotics
trade.

He stressed the importance of cooperation between the different
international anti-narcotics bodies, in terms of exchanging of information,
names of narcotics traders, and any related information, indicating that
international efforts have resulted lately in the seizure by Dubai Police of
large quantities of narcotics.

Brigadier Khalfan Khalfan Abdullah, Director of the Criminal Investigation
Department of Dubai Police, said that 82 per cent of the world narcotics are
consumed by young people aged below 30 years.

He said that the eradication of narcotics is impossible without drying up
their sources.

He said the biggest problem addicts encounter is not only the bad impact of
narcotics, but the fatal diseases resulting from them, such as AIDS, and
hepatitis.

He called on parents to keep an eye on their children, and warn them against
the dangers of narcotics use.

Lieutenant Ibrahim Addabul, Head of Guidance Section at the Dubai Police
Anti Narcotics Department (AND), said that an international report confirms
that there was 180 million addicts until the end of the 1990s.

Addicts usually started taking narcotics from the age of 15.

Lt. Addabul said AND statistics show that the ages of 8.16 per cent of those
arrested for narcotics taking in 2001 are between 15 to 20 years.