Social media can play a key role in battle against drug abuse, forum told

JEDDAH: The role of social media influencers in helping to raise awareness of the dangers of drugs was highlighted during a forum organized by the women’s supervision division of the General Directorate of Narcotics Control in Riyadh.

Titled “The Determination of a Nation,” the event, at the National Center for Measurement and Evaluation in Higher Education, was part of a program to support the UN’s International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

Attended by a number of social-media celebrities and followers, the event was accompanied by an awareness exhibition featuring drug samples and smuggling tools.

Women’s supervision director Mona Al-Sherbini said: “The issue of drugs, its size, the ways to address it and the fact that it targets the young generation pushed us to give it more attention and care. These efforts will not work unless all concerned parties stick together and stop this issue from spreading in our society. This made it our responsibility, along with social media influencers, to raise awareness about the dangers of drugs.”

The forum also included a screening of a documentary that explores the efforts of those involved in the fight against drugs, ways to deal with addicts, the role families play in the recovery process, cybercrimes, mental toughness, and treatment methods.