2,000 addicts forced into rehab center

JEDDAH — The National Committee to Combat Drugs has forcefully taken about 2,000 drug addicts to rehabilitation centers last year, according to its secretary-general Abdul Elah Al-Sharief. He said the Drug Consultancy Center received about 17,000 calls from relatives of drug addicts from February 2015 to February 2016, adding that all the calls were regarding male addicts. “We have not recorded any call related to female drug addicts,” he pointed out. He said the forcible transfer occurred after addiction reached advanced stages, causing harm to addicts and their relatives. “Forcible transfer is one of the major phases of the fight against drugs,” Al-Sharief told Al-Watan Arabic daily. “We do this after getting affirmation from relatives their addicts needed treatment.” He said forcible transfer is done in coordination with an addict’s relatives and with the support of plainclothes officers who take them to one of Al-Amal hospitals. The largest number of calls for consultancy came from the Riyadh region 7,034, followed by Makkah region 3,099 calls. This shows that about 60 percent of calls came from the two regions and the rest from other regions, he explained. “The increase in the number of calls from Riyadh and Makkah should not be taken negatively. It actually shows the awareness of families in the two regions,” Al-Sharief said. He said many families call to the center’s joint telephone number, 1955, to know how to protect their children from being victims of drugs. The center receives an average of 75 calls daily during 8 a.m. till 10 p.m. from Sunday to Thursday. There are 15 specialized male consultants in the center in addition to five female consultants. “We provide consultancy services to families in a professional manner.” He said the center works in partnership with Dr. Nasser Al-Rasheed Chair for Anti-Drug Research. It is supervised by the National Committee to Combat Drugs and Al-Amal Hospitals.