Doha - The State of Qatar joined the countries of the world in celebrating of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, which falls on June 26 of each year, under the slogan "Better Knowledge for Better Care", to emphasize the role of knowledge and science in confronting the drug problem and its real risks, and consolidating the concept of joint international cooperation to address this problem.
The celebration this year comes on this occasion, and the State of Qatar is moving forward in developing its awareness programs on drug risks, implementing relevant strategies and plans, and strengthening international cooperation to confront this serious and cross-border scourge.
Director of the Department of Studies and International Affairs of the General Directorate of Drug Enforcement Major Mohammed Abdullah Al Khater said that the drug problem is one of the crimes that threaten the security and safety of individuals and societies, and its dimensions have crossed the borders of one country to take an international aspect that affects all areas of life.
In remarks on this occasion, Major Al Khater said that scientific progress in the means of communication has led to the rapid spread of this scourge among countries, as criminal gangs use this progress to achieve their sordid goals of promotion, smuggling, and trafficking, which has made it difficult to find radical solutions to reduce them regardless of the capabilities, size, and capabilities of countries, especially after these gangs transferred their illegal activities out of the national and regional borders to the global to become a transcontinental crime.
From this standpoint, international and regional cooperation between agencies and bodies concerned in drug control and related activities has been strengthened to achieve an integrated and comprehensive approach to exchanging information and experiences to confront this problem internationally, he added.
Director of the Department of Studies and International Affairs of the General Directorate of Drug Enforcement warned that any country alone cannot meet all forms of this crime without international cooperation with other countries, indicating that international drug agreements and the organization of periodic international conferences, seminars, and meetings enhance this cooperation.
Major Mohammed Abdullah Al Khater stressed that the State of Qatar is one of the leading countries in enhancing international cooperation and coordination by ratifying the provisions and principles of all regional and international agreements related to combating drugs and dangerous psychotropic substances, as well as its active presence and distinguished participation in relevant conferences and meetings.
He also stressed that the State of Qatar is building good relations with counterparts in different countries, as well as organizations and bodies related to drug control at the regional and international levels, which contributed to achieving field successes and achievements represented in thwarting many smuggling operations targeting the state and arrest of smugglers.
Regarding the efforts made by the State of Qatar in the fight against drugs, Assistant Director of the Department of Studies and International Affairs of the General Directorate of Drug Enforcement Captain Nasser Zayed Al Hassawi said that reducing the demand for drugs is one of the pillars of confronting this dangerous scourge, limiting its spread and exposing its risks.
He pointed out that the General Directorate of Drug Enforcement has attached the highest importance to this aspect of reducing demand through its operational programs and plans to enhance security awareness among citizens and residents, by creating a unified and integrated reference that enables them to deal with this problem and address it early, which supports prevention and control efforts and contributes to achieving the desired goals that the directorate seeks to achieve in raising the level of public awareness of the drug issue of the individual, family, and society and promoting Islamic values, ethical standards, and life skills.
He pointed out that the national project to raise awareness of the harm and risks of drugs is a pioneering experience in deepening security and preventive awareness in which many state institutions and civil society organizations participate to immunize all groups of society against the scourge of drugs and psychotropic substances as well as raise their level of awareness about the dangers of addictive and deviant behaviors.
He stated that the project includes many educational activities and programs such as lectures, courses, and exhibitions, organizing seminars, training seminars, workshops, cultural competitions and distributing educational publications and publications in public and private schools, military and civil institutes and colleges, universities, companies, civil society institutions, and others.
He stated that the project includes many educational activities and programs such as lectures, courses and exhibitions in addition to organizing seminars, training seminars, workshops, cultural competitions and distributing educational publications in the public and private schools, military and civil institutes and colleges, universities, companies, civil society institutions, and others.
He also pointed out that the project includes online awareness campaigns to raise awareness of the harms and dangers of drugs through electronic screens in public places, parks, sports clubs, etc, indicating that these campaigns targeted about 170,000 persons last year.
