SANA?A* Dec. 2 ? Although drug consumption is still relatively low in Yemen compared to other countries* there is an increasing risk of drug abuse among Yemeni youth according to Dr. Mosab Al-Sofi* Deputy Director of the Antinarcotics General Directory at the Ministry of Interior."It is very difficult for us to control the spread of drugs in Yemen because there aren't enough resources of statistics available*" he said at a seminar on drug prevalence in Yemen organized by Yemen Times last week. The Antinarcotics Directory was established in 2004 as an effort by the Yemeni government to fight the increasing spread of drugs in Yemen* a country used as a transit point for smuggling drugs from eastern Asia via the Arabian Sea to African and Gulf countries. Dr. Rashad Al-Masri* Minister of Interior* also commented on this fact at a similar event on drug abuse and its relation with HIV-AIDS last Monday organized by the ministry in coordination with the UN. He predicted that in a few years time the availability and use of drugs among Yemenis would have increased significantly as this is the natural trend observed in other countries that started out as transit points in the drug trade.Prevalence of drugs in YemenThe most common drug found in Yemen is local hashish that is grown in several areas in the country such as in Haima in the governorate of Ibb and Noqum in the governorate of Sana'a. It can be bought for a little as one dollar per stick in known markets* but* despite such transactions being conducted almost out in the open* the directory explained that it is not easy to clamp down on drug selling."Sometimes we follow an operation for six months or a year. We know about the places and some of the people involved* but we have to be patient and wait until we understand the system and masterminds behind the operations*" explained Al-Sofi* adding that drug smuggling* distribution and selling has to be a very organized process to thrive.Slightly less popular than the local product and the second most common drug in Yemen* is imported hashish because it is more expensive. It usually comes from Afghanistan* Iran or Pakistan. Yemenis are not yet exposed to compound drugs such as cocaine* especially because of their high prices* although there are other forms of drug abuse* such as the un-prescribed consumption of medicine like diazepam and the inhalation of petrol* petrochemical glues or paint.Since the beginning of this year* over 26 tons of hashish and 13 million pills were seized by the Antinarcotics Directory at the Ministry of Interior* and 226 persons were arrested for drug trafficking* 88 percent of them Yemenis. These figures are about twenty percent higher than those of last year."The reason behind the uncovering of more drug operations is the increase in security efforts and not necessarily a reflection of increasing drug activities in Yemen*" said Minister of Interior.Yet increased opium cultivation in Afghanistan* currently providing two thirds of the world?s supply on opium* may very well augment drug trafficking in Yemen according to the UNODC Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa.Social denialAccording to Al-Sofi* contrary to common belief* qat chewing and smoking are gateways to the consumption of other drugs and that 97 percent of the drug users had started off as smokers* qat chewers or both. He explained that addicted Yemenis usually get high on drugs before* during or after the qat session.Moreover* public awareness of the health hazards of drug abuse is very limited because of Yemeni society refuses to recognize there is a drug problem in the country. In particular* the dangers of several people using the same syringe when injecting intravenous drugs such as morphine or heroin are not widely known. Few know that HIV or AIDS can be transmitted through the use of the same needle by more than one person.According to a recent study by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC)* 41 percent of drug users did not know anything about the HIV infection transmission via injection and AIDS spreads five times faster by injection than by sexual intercourse.In Yemen* social attitude towards drug addicts is the same as that towards criminals* and not patients who deserve help. This is why Yemeni addicts are very reluctant to seek help or ask for advice. Moreover* there is no existing rehabilitation clinic for drug abusers* who instead either land up in prison or dead. However* in theory* according to the 1993 law number 3 on Illegal Trafficking and Use of Narcotics* addicts are considered as patients and are referred to relevant health institutions for treatment. However* a complete lack of rehabilitation facilities and limited resources mean that the prescribed treatment is hard to implement. According to the same law* the criminal punishment for users caught in the act is five years in prison.The Antinarcotics Directory works in close coordination with the Ministry of Health and the Central Prison. So far* according to Al-Sofi* the prison authority had not reported any case of addicts in Yemeni prisons* although there are determined efforts by the directory to reach a mechanism to deal with narcotics in both the security and health systems....

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