Interior Minister General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, chaired today the meeting of the National Anti-drug Committee.

Present were the committee members, representing ministers and government institutions.

The Minister of Interior extended, on behalf of the members of the National Committee, his sincere thanks and appreciation to His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for issuing an edict on restructuring the National Anti-drug Committee. He expressed the appreciation of the committee members in HRH's trust.

The Minister welcomed the members, stressing his appreciation for cooperation and coordination between all parties and the civil society institutions, praising the role of the General Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Forensic Science, through the Anti- Narcotics Directorate, in carrying out its duties and providing the necessary awareness to protect children and youth.

The committee reviewed a comprehensive briefing that reflects the achievements in the field of drug control in the period from 2020 to March 2023.

In the field of seizure and control, the number of cases reached 3,491, while the amount of narcotics seized during that period amounted to 2,993 kilograms.

The Anti-Narcotics Directorate won first place in 2022 in the category of the best international, informational and operational cooperation in the field of drug control.

The briefing also referred to the awareness efforts carried by the General Directorate of Media and Security Culture and the General Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Forensic Science, in addition to the launch of the second version of the National Anti- Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Plan, which extends until 2026.

Moreover, reference was made to the "Recovery" programme, which was launched in 2018 and aimed to correct the behaviour of drug users, especially the youth, and reintegrate them into society, after transferring them from the category of drug users to the category of those recovered from addiction.

In this regard, the Interior Minister, Chairman of the National Anti- drug Committee, praised the national project to monitor, analyse and increase recovery rates from drug addiction, which is being implemented using artificial intelligence technology in cooperation with the Faculty of Medicine at Harvard and Oxford Universities. He also stressed the need to further work in this field that contributes to transferring the project from the local level to the Gulf and international levels.

The agenda of the National Committee also included the issue of criminalising volatile solvents, as well as the procedures used for confiscating electronic cigarettes in light of their impact on school students and controlling the phenomenon of smoking. The Minister praised the role of the Ministry of Education, stressing the importance of providing more lectures at schools, youth centres and clubs in order to educate young people and the youth.

During the meeting, the National Committee discussed strengthening the supervisory role of the Ministry of Health over prescriptions for psychotropic substances and narcotic drugs, reducing addiction to them, and preventing their misuse, through the use of electronic systems for prescribing and dispensing. The Minister also praised the role of the Ministry of Health in controlling the dispensing of these medicines through electronic dispensing.

The committee was also briefed on the course of the Ministry of Youth Affairs in implementing the National Anti- Narcotics and psychotropic substances Plan. In this regard, the Chairman of the National Committee stressed the importance of working continuously to protect young people and the youth in this regard, stressing that protecting them is a shared responsibility with society, and indicating that Bahrain is a suitable environment for participation in spreading culture and positivity.

The Interior Minister expressed his thanks and appreciation to the members of the National Anti-drug Committee for their communication and coordination to protect society from this scourge and increasing public safety for all citizens and residents.

Source: Bahrain News Agency