ABU DHABI // Government representatives will meet today to begin hammering out a strategy to assess the extent and nature of drug addiction in the country.
The end goal of the three-year, Dh10 million project will be a national action plan to tackle the issue, officials said.
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One priority will be to obtain solid data on the subject as little reliable information exists.
The National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) will work with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and other stakeholders to conduct a comprehensive study.
The number of addicts, their demographics, types of addictions, most popular drugs, and emerging substances and strategies for tackling drug abuse will be studied.
Dr Wadeh Maalouf, the project co-ordinator for prevention, treatment and rehabilitation at the UNODC, said the project was important, simply to get everyone involved on the same page.
"And then every side will know what their role is and how to co-ordinate with one another," he said.
Today's workshop will involve the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Social Affairs and Customs Department, among other parties.
According to international figures, addiction costs two to four per cent of a country's economy. That is equal to the cost of five Sheikh Zayed Mosques.
"So it is better to spend the money on prevention before it happens," said Dr Hamad al Ghafiri, the director general of the NRC, which is treating 560 addicts.
Moreover, there are new drugs emerging into the market every day, and such substances must be tracked for effective enforcement.
Dr Tarek Abduljawad, the medical director at the NRC, gave an example about a new brand of tea bags discovered a month ago that contained a substance called "spice" that had the same effects as hashish. The tea bags were available at the market and not illegal.
"We received young patients who brought it with them as the source of their addiction," he said.
UNODC has since declared the bags' active ingredient an illegal addictive substance.
In a separate project, the NRC plans to hold support and awareness sessions for four- to six-year-old children of addicts.
"We've noticed that children can be influenced by their parents' addictive habits. The parents think they are too young to notice, but they are wrong," said Dr Hisham Elarabi, the head of health and education research at NRC. "It is important to explain from an early age the things they see around them and how to deal with it."
The project is still just a vision and no details have been set on how, when and where to implement it.
hdajani@thenational.ae
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Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
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Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
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Sweet%20Tooth
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Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush
Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”
A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.
“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”
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2009 Berlin
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4x100m relay Gold
2013 Moscow
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2015 Beijing
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Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
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- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
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2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
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Source: The National
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Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
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Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFor%20women%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ESisu%20Hair%20Salon%2C%20Jumeirah%201%2C%20Dubai%3Cbr%3EBoho%20Salon%2C%20Al%20Barsha%20South%2C%20Dubai%3Cbr%3EMoonlight%2C%20Al%20Falah%20Street%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFor%20men%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMK%20Barbershop%2C%20Dar%20Al%20Wasl%20Mall%2C%20Dubai%3Cbr%3ERegency%20Saloon%2C%20Al%20Zahiyah%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3EUptown%20Barbershop%2C%20Al%20Nasseriya%2C%20Sharjah%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
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Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The%20specs
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