Social media users face large fines and jail time for sharing or forwarding adverts from people selling illegal drugs.
People caught doing so could be fined Dh1 million ($272,250) or given a prison sentence of up to three years.
This includes reposting a message or sharing a tweet about the availability or sale of drugs.
Last week, the UAE downgraded penalties for drug and alcohol misuse in some circumstances. But selling or trafficking drugs can lead to years in jail. Prosecutors can push for the death penalty for drug dealing, which is rarely used.
We have seen people in their 60s and in their early teens use them. Amphetamines are currently the biggest problem
Mohamed Rashed Al Dhanhani,
director of Abu Dhabi Community and Legal Awareness Centre
To drive the message home, a new anti-drug campaign by the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department shows how social media can be used to encourage young people to try illicit substances.
The sale and distribution of banned drugs online are illegal, as a physical sale is, and come under the UAE’s Cybercrimes and Anti-Rumour Law, Mohamed Rashed Al Dhanhani, director of Abu Dhabi Community and Legal Awareness Centre, told The National.
"People wrongly assume that only the physical sale of narcotics is punishable by law and that reposting or sharing is harmless," he said.
“Many times, it is the people who repost, share or retweet about this material that lead us to the addicts and the dealers.”
Mr Al Dhanhani urged parents to keep a watch over their children's social media activities.
He said there are cases of drugs being used by children in their early teens, who learnt of their availability from WhatsApp groups and social media posts.
“Drug use knows no nationality or age, we have seen people in their 60s and in their early teens use them," Mr Al Dhanhani said. "And there is no specific drug that they use but amphetamines [psychostimulant drugs] are currently the biggest problem.
"Every illicit drug and every user, regardless of age or race, concerns us.”
He said the main focus was to rehabilitate drug users, not punish them.
Last week, the country's attorney general announced a series of new laws that reduced penalties for drug use.
Under the new legislation, the courts were given the power to deal with more offences with fines instead of jail sentences.
Someone caught with drugs would be fined between Dh10,000 and Dh30,000 if it was their first offence, rising to Dh50,000 for their third.
In January 2022, minimum sentences for drug use were cut, mandatory deportation for non-citizens caught with drugs was dropped and an emphasis was placed on rehabilitation. People caught with products containing cannabis or CBD oil now have the items confiscated rather than being prosecuted.
Foreigners are now referred to rehabilitation rather than being deported for drug use.
“Before giving a judgment, judges will still look at the foreigner's circumstances — whether they have a stable job, a family and permanent residence in the UAE and if this is their first offence. If they do, then they would most probably be referred to a rehabilitation centre and will have to undergo regular drug tests,” Mr Al Dhanhani said.
The majority of drug traffickers are from overseas but foreigners make up a minority of drug users in the UAE.
Tough laws remain in place for drug smuggling, with a minimum sentence of five years and a maximum death penalty, if pursued by prosecutors.
“Judges would rather refer a person to rehabilitation than have him jailed,” Mr Al Dhanhani said.
War on Captagon - in pictures
F1 The Movie
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Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Credits
Produced by: Colour Yellow Productions and Eros Now
Director: Mudassar Aziz
Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jassi Gill, Piyush Mishra, Diana Penty, Aparshakti Khurrana
Star rating: 2.5/5
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Canada
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
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Chelsea 1 (Hudson-Odoi 90 1')
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1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
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