KUWAIT: Kuwait's Ministry of Interior urged parents to report their children in case they abuse drugs or were addicted to drugs so that they can be enrolled in rehabilitation and therapy programs without facing criminal charges. Concerned authorities are reachable round the clock via the emergency number 112 in addition to the services on the number 1884141, the ministry said in a press statement Saturday.

The ministry said meanwhile that the number of drugs-related deaths dropped by 24 percent in 2021 "due to the successful interior security personnel efforts in clamping down on dealers and traffickers." It added that the general directorate for combating narcotics recorded 2,360 cases, with 2,990 accused persons in 2021, in contrast to 1,825 cases and 2,489 charged individuals in 2020. In the first half of 2022, the security apparatuses seized large amounts of drugs and detained many dealers. "First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and MoI Undersecretary Anwar Al-Barjas place the combating of the drugs among the top priorities," the ministry noted.

The ministry added that it is continuing to launch awareness campaigns and playing the main role in facing this phenomenon as it observes the World Drug Fay for combating narcotics, which falls on June 26. The ministry's public relations and security information directorate has carried out in coordination with the anti-drugs department, state institutions and civil societies, an awareness campaign themed "Wiyac" (with you). The campaign aims to enhance the level of awareness, check spread of addictions, with emphasis on the family guidance role, it said, noting parents' responsibility to notify the relevant authorities if any of their children fall victims of this scourge.