Sultanate developing plans to combat spread of drugs

Muscat: National Committee for Drugs and Psychotropic Substances said that it is currently developing the necessary plans and programmes for the National Strategy for Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, after having developed the general framework for the strategy.
The Committee said that it is keen on involving all respective stakeholders in the development of the strategy including the public and civil society organisations and the Human Rights Commission to come out with integrated and balanced strategy that include awareness, prevention, combating, training, treatment, rehabilitation, monitoring, security and research issues, as well as the science-based studies.
Drug abuse
Countries of the world have celebrated the United Nations’ (UN) International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, which falls on June 26 each year to raise awareness of the major problem that drugs pose to society.
The National Committee for Drugs and Psychotropic Substances said that as per the National Record for Drug Dependency the number of drug dependents in the Sultanate as of 2014 stood at 625 ; a decline by 29 per cent compared to 2013.
The number of recorded drug dependents who applied for treatment at the different health institutions from 2004 to 2014 stood at 4,955 including 4,872 Omanis of which females are only 49 cases (only 1 per cent), between 15 to 50 years – an average of 29.
In terms of education, 10 per cent of the female drug dependents have university degree compared to 60 per cent having primary or secondary education and 20 per cent did not attend school. -ONA