The Use of Hard Drugs - Case Study Example

Mortality, Morbidity and Treatment for Hard Drugs in Saudi Arabia Mortality, morbidity, and treatment Drugs are an essential part of our daily life. They help cure all sorts of ailments, from the physiological to the psychological. The use of these drugs are however, often abused by adolescents and other adults as a means of getting ‘high’ or as a means of escaping the realities of their life. The effect of these drugs is often mind-altering and it sometimes causes feelings of euphoria among users. The use of hard drugs can have serious consequences for many users, often likely causing death and causing the user to manifest reckless behaviour. The use of illicit drugs has also added to the abuse problem in society, with many users often suffering the same effect in the abuse of legitimate prescription drugs. Not much attention however has been focused on the use and abuse of illicit drugs and treatment has not been forthcoming on the use of these illicit drugs. In Australia and in the United States, the use of illicit drugs rose in the 1970s and issues of prevention and treatment also escalated during this time. In Saudi Arabia, these figures have not been exactly forthcoming; hence, this paper is being conducted in order to establish the prevalence rates on the use of hard drugs in Saudi Arabia. Discussion In a 2008 World Drug report by Hennigan (“Finance”), he indicated that the seizures of amphetamines increased sharply in Saudi Arabia, most likely signalling an increase in the consumption of amphetamines in the country. As compared to global figures on seizures, Saudi Arabia represented 28 percent of all seizures in 2006 – this represents about 12.3 tonnes of amphetamines seized in the country (Hennigan, “Finance”). This is an important issue because the efforts being made towards the stabilization of the world drug market are threatened. Moreover, drug stabilization is threatened by the increase in opium and coca cultivation, “and the risk of higher drug use in developing countries threaten to undermine recent progress in drug control” (Hennigan, “Finance”). Due to these increasing figures, Saudi Arabia, more particularly, Riyadh took on a more imposing position against drug abuse. Riyadh officials noted the increasing drug use in the area, including trafficking through its borders; and so it also manifested actions on raising domestic awareness of this problem as well as the expansion of regional anti-smuggling cooperation agreements (Murphy “Arab Gates”). The society has also become more open to the possibility that their youth are now rampant users of the drugs, as well as some of their students who admittedly use the amphetamines during their exam periods (Murphy “Arab Gates”). Some use Captagon which is an appetite suppressant; and others use hashish for various drug effects and highs. These drugs are brought into Saudi through the borders of Yemen, Jordan, and Egypt (Murphy “Arab Gates”). Smugglers are often relentless in their activities despite the stiff punishment for smuggling. They hide the drugs in fresh fruits, furniture, children’s schoolbags and even body cavities (Murphy “Arab Gates”). In April of 2008, Saudi officials indicate that about 195 individuals (108 Saudis) were arrested for smuggling drugs into Saudi. Police officers seized about eight million amphetamine pills, 2700 kg of hashish and 20 kg of heroin in the process. And with these lofty amounts of items seized, officials still claim that the amount of drugs seized are about equal to those seized in previous years (Murphy “Arab Gates”). The distribution of illicit drugs in Saudi has also mostly been done by individuals, not so much the large drug organizations. This often makes the drug trade more difficult to control and monitor because the transport and smuggling can be done by the most innocuous person through the most innocuous means. A study by their anti-narcotic division revealed that in the year 2009, there were about 90,300 peddlers in the kingdom (and 59, 600 of them being Saudis) (Murphy, “Arab Gates”). There were also about 37,828 individuals being accused of drug-related crimes in 2009 and officials seized about 62 million Captagon pills, 17 tonnes of hashish, 60,000 kg of heroin, and 775,000 tonnes of qat in some of their raids (Murphy “Arab Gates”). These figures still very much indicate the worsening and the unresolved drug problem in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is a member and party to three international drug control conventions (UNODC, “Country Profile”). There is a considerable amount of fenetylline (Captagon) seized in the region which largely indicates a continuation of trafficking from the production sites in Central and Eastern Europe. The Saudi Islamic Legal Code expresses that drug trafficking is a capital offense which is enforceable to Saudis and non-Saudis (UNODC, “Country Profile”). There has been an increase in the executions from drug trafficking in the country during the past years; however, these figures may not be accurate because they are as reported to human rights organizations. The UNODC (“Country Profile”) also points out that data on drug abuse is limited; however, the drug trafficking data which was previously established may indicate that the trafficking of stimulants indicates that drug abuse in Saudi Arabia may actually be at a larger scale. “There is also abuse of cannabis. Reports also mention a rising abuse of heroin and cocaine, albeit at a low overall level” (UNODC, “Country Profile”). Non-Saudi users are jailed or sometimes deported and Saudi addicts are sent to any of the three treatment hospitals in the country. Other interest groups point out that cultural and social restrictions often prevent Saudis from using drugs, however, this still does not negate the fact that there is a significant number of ‘hidden’ abusers in Saudi Arabia (UNODC, “Country Profile”). These figures indicate that there is a significant amount of subterfuge in the use and abuse of hard drugs in Saudi Arabia. First and foremost, there are limited accurate reports coming from the region, which makes it difficult to detect actual users. Nevertheless, the drug trafficking figures which were drawn from the UNODC report indicates that drug use in the country may actually be more rampant than actual figures indicate. In a study by Al-Haqwi (“Content”), he again points out that information on drug use in Saudi Arabia is limited. The Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia is however quick to point out that as compared to the year 2003, 2007 admissions in psychiatric hospitals for alcohol and drug abuse registered higher numbers. Reports have also increased for drug trafficking violations, even with threats of heavier punishment (Al-Haqwi, “Content”). A study covering 230 students revealed that about 75% of them believed drug abuse to be a common problem in their community, and mostly among young adult males (Al-Haqwi, “Content”). Those who are married saw this problem as a more serious one and the students believed that amphetamines, heroin, cannabis, and cocaine were the drugs which were abused among their younger set of friends. These young students also believed that the influence of friends; general life stressors, tobacco smoking, and curiosity are the precipitating factors which often prompted them and their friends to abuse drugs (Al-Haqwi, “Content”). The study also revealed that 3% of the respondents believed that they would abuse drugs sometime in the future. This study concluded that even with the limited data available on the drug abuse problem in Saudi Arabia, most students in Riyadh believe that drug abuse is a common problem in their community (Al-Haqwi, “Content”). Of a bigger concern in Saudi is the domestic narcotics abuse. Their authorities report that the level of drug trafficking and substance abuse has registered a general increase of incidents, and their incidents have mostly increased in the coastal urban areas. Hashish, cocaine, and Captagon pills have increased in demand in Saudi Arabia (HR-Net, “News”). It is important to note however, that the drug cultivation and production in the region is almost at a negligible number. The flow of drugs (mostly heroin) in the region from Pakistan to Europe and sometimes to the United States has, however, registered higher figures. This indicates that as these drugs are in transit through Saudi, they still potentially place the potential users at risk in Saudi for potential drug use and abuse (HR-Net, “News”). In assessing the impact or effects on the drug, a study based on the Saudi population was conducted. The respondents’ were measured based on the Benton visual retention tests, the colour trail making tests, the Stroop colours-word test, the symbol digit modalities test, the five dots cognitive flexibility test, and the TAM verbal flexibility test. The study revealed that drug-dependent subjects performed worse as compared to the comparison group on all measures (Al-Zahrani & Elsayed, “Content”). The study also revealed that there were significant differences in the subgroups with the alcoholic subgroup faring much worse followed by the amphetamine subgroup, then the opioid subgroup. Moreover, those with longer periods of dependence and with multiple hospital readmissions performed much worse in relation to patients with a shorter duration of dependence and less readmission (Zahrani & Elsayed, “Content”). The study therefore confirmed that the brain functions in relation to cognitive control are impaired with the use of drugs and alcohol. This impairment is also very much related to the kind of abuse, the duration of use and the number of hospitalizations. All these contribute to the behavioural disturbances found among addicts; and these disturbances need much attention during the planning of the treatment programs (Zahrani & Elsayed, “Content”). Data which was gathered in the early 90s revealed that the crime rate in Saudi was relatively minimal and even unusual. With the presence of foreign workers however, the crime rates increases (Mongabay, “History”). This increase also worsened with the rise in the number of the unemployed in both Saudi and Yemen. However, the stiff penalties of the commission of crimes based on Shari’a laws helped to control crime rates. Punishment for drug smuggling was also very stiff, with capital punishment being imposed for them (Mongabay “History”). In 1987, about 9 people were executed for drug smuggling and this anti-drug campaign decreased the use and abuse of drugs in the late 80s. By 1991, from the time the anti-drug campaign was set in motion, there were about 110 drug dealers who were arrested. These figures were still low as far the rest of the work was concerned (Mongabay “History”). However, among the young and wealthy Saudis, drug use and abuse became persistent. They mostly acquired their habits abroad. Even the members of the royal family were not spared drug use and abuse. Some of them used their privilege in order to import contraband into the country (Mongabay, “History”). These practices contributed to the increase of drug use and abuse in Saudi and from this point, although figures did not seem to reflect the increasing prevalence of drug use, the underlying implications and risks were there and were understood by the officials and local authorities (Mongabay, “History”). An extrapolation of data from a study on the modernization and expansion of the health system in Saudi Arabia reveals the easy availability of drugs and the potential for their abuse in the region. Based on hospital admissions from 1992 to 1994, with about 106 patients studied, 50 were admitted with drug overdose and 56 with other adverse drug reactions (Ahmed, p. 61). Those who overdosed were mostly young females and drugs commonly used were analgesics, and psychotropic drugs. Family disputes were the main causes for this overdose among females and among males psychiatric problems were the main cause (Ahmed, p. 61). Common adverse drug reactions were mostly gastrointestinal bleeding and hepatic injury caused by NSAIDS and the overall mortality was 3.8%. The paper revealed that at that time, drug abuse was not yet a significant problem, but the potential for increase in abuse was there (Ahmed, p. 61). The suggestions of this research are seen today, with the increase in drug trafficking and the increase in perceived drug abuse among young adults in Saudi Arabia as revealed by studies as cited above. Treatment The treatment of drug abuse in Saudi Arabia has focused on addressing the drug problem in general. The government has launched a program in order to prevent the spread of drugs in Saudi, focusing on their youth population and the risks or problems which often lead to the drug abuse problem (Hammond, “Article”). The Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz declared that he will take charge of a new committee – the National Committee for Combating Drugs in order to help address this problem. Police authorities emphasize that drug abusers need treatment and rehabilitation and they point out that the society has to take a more active role in protecting their members against drug abuse (Hammond, “Article”). Consequently, many more expert authorities point out that experts, preachers, professors, media and even parents have to be involved and made aware of the danger of drugs (Hammond “Article”). Authorities are aware that even while there are no official figures on the number of drug addicts in Saudi Arabia, that it is nevertheless a growing problem in the region. These authorities point out that they have about 7 million foreign workers; about 60% of their native population is below the age of 21 years with most of these individuals being unemployed (Hammond, “Article”). These young individuals often become vulnerable to the influence of drug users and pushers. With the use of foreign workers who abuse drugs, the young drug abusers continue to increase in number. The government is now considering a program which will focus on educating the young adults on the dangers of drug use and abuse (Hammond, “Article”). A paper by Karoub (“Today’s Feature”) reveals that the treatment method being used in one of the most prestigious drug treatment centres in the United States is being considered as a treatment for drug abuse in Saudi Arabia. Karoub (“Today’s Feature”) further emphasizes that the use of alcohol and drugs in Saudi is illegal and those who abuse alcohol and drugs are burdened with a stigma and with limited treatment options. Consequently, many drug abusers do not talk about their addiction, not even to their family members. For some experts, the thrust is on changing this negative perception and image about drug use and abuse by creating a network of treatment facilities in Saudi (Karoub, “Today’s Feature”). One of the Saudi medical experts visited the centres in the United States, and he was able to establish the links of these centres to the bigger communities – and these communities have included an Arab and Muslim population. These rehabilitation centres included counselling service and social services. By assessing these centres, the expert was able to establish that there is a need to develop a 12-step program for drug abuse counselling and the program has to be grounded on the Islamic culture in order to make accommodations for the patients’ religious leanings and orientation (Karoub, “Today’s Feature”). Treatment plans to carry out this program include the establishment of a public-private 250 bed treatment hospital and referral centre in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. The program also includes roommates for patients in order to help the patients identify with individuals who share their problems. These treatment centres are targeting those individuals who cannot afford to seek treatment abroad for their addiction (Karoub, “Today’s Feature”). This treatment program seeks to embrace Islam as a part of the rehabilitation and treatment process. It is also important to note that Islam actually encourages addicted Muslims to seek help for their addiction and this program makes that possible. And even with cultural modifications, encouraging Arabs and Muslims to acknowledge their need for treatment will still need the help of more people supporting the treatment program. Conclusion This essay was able to exhibit in essence how limited the figures are on the actual morbidity and mortality as far as the use of illicit drugs in Saudi Arabia is concerned. Although the official figures indicate no alarming rates in the figures of drug abusers in Saudi, drug trafficking is on the rise and most young adults perceive an increase in the usage of illicit drugs in Saudi. These unofficial figures indicate that drug use may actually be an alarming and escalating problem in Saudi. Since there are limited figures for actual drug use in Saudi, the treatment for drug abuse is also not diverse and rich. The available treatment for drug abusers is focused on a general government program to monitor and control drug users, not on specific and patient-centred programs. Nevertheless, the adoption of a 12-step program for drug abusers is now slowly being implemented in Saudi. This program is based on Islamic law and culture and is fashioned to fit the needs of the Arab or the Muslim seeking treatment for drug addiction. Works Cited Al-Haqwi, A. (2009) Perception among medical students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, regarding alcohol and substance abuse in the community: a cross-sectional survey. Content. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy. 13 June 2010 from Al-Zahrani, M. & Elsayed, Y. (2009) The impacts of substance abuse and dependence on neuropsychological functions in a sample of patients from Saudi Arabia. Behavioral and Brain Functions. Content. Behavior and Brain Functions. 13 June 2010 from Ahmed, M. (2009) Drug-associated admissions to a district hospital in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics. 22(1):61-6. Saudi Arabia (2010) United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Country Profile. 13 June 2010 from Hammond, A. (24 June 2007) Saudi Arabia launches campaign to combat drug use. Article. Reuters.com. 13 June 2010 from Hellenic Resources Network (2009) Africa and the Middle East: U.S. Department of State International Narcotics Control Strategy Report. News. Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. 13 June 2010 from Hennigan, M. (27 June 2008) World Drug Report 2008: Seizures of amphetamines rise sharply in Saudi Arabia. Finance. Finfacts. 13 June 2010 from Karoub, J. (2010) Saudi rehab center studies oldest US addiction treatment. Today’s Feature. Saudi Gazette. 13 June 2010 from Murphy, C. (2010) Riyadh takes tougher line on drug abuse. Arab Gates. Middle East Online. 13 June 2010 from Saudi Arabia-Crime and Punishment (1992) Mongabay.com. History. 13 June 2010 from Read More