Call for drug rehab centre

A proposal has been made to the Northern Municipal Council to establish a drug rehab centre. The centre, the proposal said, should focus on aftercare and the successful integration of addicts into society. The proposal by northern municipal council member Abdallah Al Qubaisi also called for allotting a building and appointing experts.

Al Qubaisi said the centre is necessary to provide proper psychological support and creating programmes capable of producing a suitable environment to treat addictions. Raising awareness in the community, according to Al Qubaisi, is the next big step. “The centre should serve to raise awareness about addiction in the community as well as promote healthy behaviour,” he said. The proposal further requires establishing various support facilities including a gymnasium, a reading room, cafeteria, special treatment rooms, a social room and a room for exhibiting awareness materials.

Moving on, the council discussed a claim by a shura council member on the percentage of drug addicts in the kingdom. The member claimed that around 26 per cent of Bahrain’s population is addicted to drugs. However, statistics by senior ministers showed that drug addiction is well controlled and amounts to less than 1pc of Bahrain’s population. According to the Minister of education, drug addiction affects precisely 0.974pc of the population.

Drug addiction and peddling were among the major topics of discussion this year. Two students, accused of selling drugs in a public school, got expelled from a school in Hamad town earlier. Reports say the two female students were involved in serious violations related to drug possession and distribution. At that time, the Ministry stated the students may have to pursue home-schooling even after their suspension is over.