21-06-2023

Manama, June 21 (BNA): His Excellency Lieutenant General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Minister of Interior, chaired today, Wednesday, the meeting of the National Committee for Drug Control, in the presence of a number of ministers and representatives of government institutions that are members of the committee. at the beginning of the meeting; His Excellency the Minister of Interior, on behalf of the owners of the members of the National Committee, expressed his sincere thanks and appreciation to His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, may God protect him, for His Highness’s decision in March 2023 to reconfigure the National Committee for Drug Control, His Excellency expressing his pride in the members of the Committee and this confidence, which is considered a motivation to continue national giving. The Minister welcomed the members, stressing his appreciation for the cooperation and coordination between all parties and civil society institutions, and the role of the General Department of Investigation and Criminal Evidence through the Drug Control Department in carrying out its duties in law enforcement and providing the necessary awareness, within the framework of combating drugs and protecting children and youth. During its meeting, the committee reviewed a comprehensive summary of the achievements made in the field of drug control in the period from 2020 to March 2023. In the field of control and control; The number of seized cases reached 3,491, and the amount of narcotics seized during that period amounted to 2,993 kilograms. The Drug Enforcement Administration also won first place in 2022 in the category of the best international informational operational cooperation in the field of drug control. The brief referred to the awareness-raising efforts by the General Administration of Information and Security Culture, as well as the General Directorate of Investigation and Criminal Evidence, in addition to the launch of the second version of the National Plan to Combat Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, which extends until 2026. Mention was also made of the “Recovery” program, which was launched in 2018, and one of its objectives is to correct the behavior of drug users, especially young people, and reintegrate them into society, after transferring them from the category of drug users to the category of those recovering from addiction. In this regard; The Minister of Interior, Chairman of the National Committee for Drug Control, praised the national project to monitor, analyze and increase recovery rates from drug addiction, which is being implemented using artificial intelligence technology, and in cooperation with the Medical College of Harvard and Oxford Universities, noting further work in this field, which contributes to transferring the project from the local level to the Gulf and international levels. The agenda of the National Committee also included the issue of criminalizing volatile solvents, as well as the procedures for confiscating electronic cigarettes in light of their impact on school students and controlling the phenomenon of smoking. During its meeting, the National Committee discussed strengthening the supervisory role of the Ministry of Health on prescriptions for psychotropic substances and narcotic drugs, reducing addiction to them, and preventing their diversion and misuse through the use of electronic systems for prescribing and dispensing. The Minister praised the role of the Ministry of Health in controlling and controlling the dispensing of these medicines through electronic dispensing. After that, the committee was briefed on the course of the Ministry of Youth Affairs in implementing the national plan to combat narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, where the head of the national committee stressed the importance of working continuously to protect young people and youth and sparing no effort in this regard, stressing that their protection is a shared responsibility with society, indicating that Bahrain is a suitable environment for participation in spreading culture and positive thought in society. At the conclusion of the meeting, the Minister of Interior expressed his thanks and appreciation to the members of the National Committee for Drug Control and their keenness to communicate and coordinate on everything that would contribute to protecting society from this scourge and increasing public safety rates for all citizens and residents.