Thursday, Mar 23, 2017

Dubai: Social media and online chat rooms have been found to be behind drug addictions among many young people in Dubai, police said.

Amal Al Fuqaei, a rehabilitation specialist at the Anti-Narcotics Department in Dubai Police, who works closely with former addicts, said social media and chatting applications provided an easy route to deceiving teenagers into addiction.

“The new smart applications and social media helped to spread the addiction. Some young addicts who were recently caught by police claimed that chatting rooms were the main reason behind their addiction as they met other addicts who lured them into addiction’s path. Social media is like a trap for kids,” Al Fuqaei said.

Official statistics by Dubai Police show that 62 per cent of those caught in drugs cases last year were aged between 15 to 25.

“This is a critical age and parents must watch their children and know their friends as it won’t be easy catch to drug dealers and addicts,” she said, “If the parents inform Dubai Police about their addict son, then he won’t be arrested and he won’t be punished by law. Their kids can go through rehabilitation centre to recover from addiction.”

Dubai Police said many parents were now cooperating with them and even bring their teenage children for monthly checks even after they had completed rehabilitation.

“In an incident recently, a father brought his 17-year-old addict son to the department asking for help. His son became addict two years ago when a friend gave him a pill of an illegal painkiller. The boy claimed that he wanted to experience what it would be like to do drugs. He is now recovering at the rehabilitation centre and he is showing positive intent to lead a normal life in society,” Al Fuqaei said.

In a second case, two young sisters turned into addicts and took to having drugs with young men. One of the men died of an overdose and police subsequently arrested all those involved, including the two sisters.

“One of the sisters was in college and the second in high school. They met a young man who was a drug addict and he lured them into the drug habit. They were having drugs in a house and, when they woke up, one of the young men had died of an overdose and police arrested them all. Their family was shocked when they discovered that their daughters were drug addicts and involved in a serious drug case,” Al Fuqaei added.

The sisters are now on trial in the Dubai Criminal Court for using drugs and are going through a rehabilitation plan.

Dubai Police said parents can call on 800400400 to alert police if they fear their children may have turned to drugs.

by Ali Al Shouk Staff Reporter

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