Oman campaigns to educate youngsters on dangers of drugs
▶ More than 2,700 people were treated in hospital for addiction last year, an annual increase of 11 per cent
A nationwide campaign is under way in Oman to warn young people about the dangers of drug use, as statistics showed more than 2,700 people were treated for addiction last year.
The month-long campaign – led by the state-run national committee for narcotics and psychotropic substances – targeted schools and universities, where they held talks about the side-effects of drug dependency.
The Omani police have repeatedly warned parents to keep an eye on their children, saying young people who become addicted to drugs may also turn to dealing narcotics and put pressure on their peers to take part in illegal activity.
The penalty for drug trafficking is 15 years in jail. Street drug dealers get 10 years. Drug users are not jailed, but sent for rehabilitation.
According to the ministry of health, the more than 2,700 treated for drug addiction last year constituted an 11 per cent increase from 2015.
The slogan – Life is wonderful, don’t spoil it with drugs – can be seen on the sides of public buses in the country, while posters have been placed in shopping malls, traffic light crossings and parks to create more awareness.
“Drug abuse is a menace and only persistent campaigns can drive the message home,” said Harith Al Harthy, a volunteer at the Hayatt Association, which helps drug addicts.
“Teachers and parents need to be vigilant to detect signs of drug abuse.”
To combat drug smuggling, Omani authorities have in the past five years beefed up security at airports and other border crossings. But patrolling all 1,700 kilometres of coastline is a challenge.
“Most drugs come in to the country by sea. So far, this year, the police have caught about 60 people trying to bring in drugs that way,” said a spokesman for the NCNPS.
“The best is being done to patrol the sea, but these drug smugglers don’t give up because it is a profitable business.”
He said that smugglers use speedboats to collect the drugs from international waters near Duqm, where fishing boats operated by international crime rings make the deliveries.
“They also use other coastal towns, such as Sur in the east and Salalah in the south, to smuggle since it is not as heavily patrolled as the Musandam Peninsula,” Mr Al Harthy said.
“That’s why it is important for the local people who live in these towns to stay vigilant and report any sign of smuggling.
“These areas need to be involved in this campaign, too.”
This year, the government said it would invest more than US$200 million (Dh734.6m) in the next five years to double the number of beds in the country’s only rehabilitation centre and build more facilities.
Al Masarra Hospital is the only medical institution in the country that offers rehabilitation for drug addiction.