Kuwait Times

Published Date: June 25, 2007

KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti National Committee for Combating Narcotic Drugs is expected to mark the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking tomorrow.

The event is to be held under the aegis of First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior and Minister of Defense Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, who also chairs the anti-narcotics committee.

Ahmad Al-Samdan, secretary-general of the committee, told a news conference here Sunday on this occasion that the anti-narcotics event in Kuwait would aim to show the country's persistent and relentless efforts to wipe out the spreading of illegal drugs.

In this context, Kuwait has been contributing to the United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control (UNFDAC) since it joined an international anti-drug agreement in a bid to tap international experience in this field, he said.

Notwithstanding international efforts exerted to stem the tide of this perilous phenomenon, the problem is still running deeper worldwide, Al-Samdan argued.

Expounding on Kuwait's anti-narcotics efforts at the international and regional levels, he said Kuwait was in the forefront of the countries that marked the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

Kuwait's involvement in the international event is meant to find the correct approach to control drug abuse, he said, hoping that this annual occasion would be an opportunity to boost societal awareness of the destructive effects of drug abuse.

Drug abuse poses a menace to societal security and stability, destroys human and economic resources and even derails development efforts, he added. Backed by all state agencies involved, the Kuwaiti anti-narcotics committee is working out necessary studies to combat illegal drugs, which erode human minds and bodies, the Kuwaiti anti-drug official noted.

Marking the world anti-drug day, Kuwaiti activities will feature seminars, lectures and medical shows on the treatment of drug addicts.

June 26 was set an international day for combating drug abuse in a bid to show international determination to wipe out drug abuse and illicit trafficking. --- KUNA