Drug abuse is more than a social issue

Drug usage is a costly issue that requires more study into the reasons and solutions

What would persuade someone to take drugs, given the severity of the penalties in the UAE? Abu Dhabi Judicial Department Photo

The rising number of deaths from drug abuse is an issue of concern. As Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, told the Federal National Council on Tuesday, the number of cases increased to reach a death rate of 6.1 out of every million people last year – a figure which, while not as high as in other countries, is still a problem that affects the whole of society.

The use of drugs is a complex issue that involves many social and economic factors. Young people start taking drugs for reasonssuch as peer pressure, life stresses, problems at home, family complaints and travelling abroad, according to Dr Hamad Al Ghaferi, the general director of the National Rehabilitation Centre. One can argue that in a conservative culture, it’s easier and more discreet to consume drugs than to consume alcohol, which is usually done as a social activity.

The high cost of such an issue should not be underestimated. The treatment and rehab for drug addicts costs about Dh5.5 billion per year.

The number is high, no doubt, although the cost of treating one patient for three months is also high (Dh400,000). That high cost has in the past been used in drug information campaigns, to try to highlight to young Emiratis that getting into drugs also carries a cost to the country.

This is an area, however, where more numbers and more information would be helpful. Knowing how that Dh5.5bn is broken down would help our understanding of which policies are working and those that could be improved. Education about the health and societal dangers of drugs could also have a multiplying effect.

At the level of rehab, too, more statistics and research are needed. How many of those in rehab have self-referred? How many are addicts, and how many were required by the courts to attend? And for what offences – for marijuana, for pills or for other hard drugs? There also needs to be more follow-up research on what happens to the patients after they leave rehab.

There is also a more fundamental question: what would persuade someone to take drugs, given the severity of the penalties in the UAE?

The answers to those question matter, because they will make drug-use prevention and drug treatment more tailored, more effective and, in the long run, more cost-effective.