ABU DHABI // Illegal drug users are turning from heroin and other opiates to prescription drugs and medication, particularly tramadol, rehabilitation experts have warned.
Prescription drug use has been on the rise for the past 10 years, Dr Hamad Al Ghaferi, director general of the National Rehabilitation Centre, told the Global Forum for Youth Leaders on Drug Use Prevention.
“We as patients, we as human beings, don’t know how to ask for help,” Dr Al Ghaferi said of addicts.
The centre is working with police and the Ministry of Health to regulate prescription drug purchases. A system is in place but in its early stages.
“This system will make sure that any prescribed drugs are being controlled and monitored,” said Dr Ali Al Marzooqi, the centre’s director of public health and research.
Tramadol, a painkiller similar to opiates such as morphine, makes users feel relaxed, but it is easy to overdose, causing respiratory arrest or death, Dr Al Marzooqi said.
NRC patients who abuse prescription medication often combine them with other drugs, he said.
About 1,000 patients were admitted to NRC outpatient clinics last year, and Dr Al Marzooqi described the increase in the number of young people using drugs as “alarming”, with those admitted as young as 12.
Asma Yaaqoub, 25, a conference volunteer, said many young people had misconceptions about drugs, and she had acquaintances who had travelled to Europe or the US to try marijuana.
“They think it’s healthy,” she said.
Ms Yaaqoub, from Abu Dhabi, said she had attended to learn more about drug use to answer her own questions after having such conversations with friends.
“I want the Government and police to catch young people who are doing these drugs because this is affecting society,” she said.
Ahmed Fawzy, from Cairo, said young people should be given more accurate and honest messages about the dangers of different substances.
“You shouldn’t just lump everything together in one and hope to stop it because it’s all bad – no, tell me exactly how it’s bad,” said Mr Fawzy, 22, who has produced educational videos for a non-profit organisation.
He said young people were rebellious and may feel all information they were given about drugs was false if they were given blanket statements such as “drugs kill”.
“It’s all about credibility,” he said.
The NRC organised the conference with the Colombo Plan, an organisation working on economic and social development issues in Asia and the Pacific, including drug-use prevention.
Speakers included officials from the US Department of State, the UN and non-profit organisations.
About 400 people from 46 countries attended. Another 180 came from UAE health authorities, universities and other official bodies such as the police.
The forum included workshops and trainings, and an opening ceremony on Monday featured a dance performance depicting drug addicts being saved by community role models and their own inner faith.
Questions posed to the forum included “Why is drug use increasing in the world?” and “Why do young people take drugs?”
When asked by organisers if they thought it was possible to prevent young people from abusing drugs, only about 15 of several hundred in the audience raised their hands. Speakers said they hoped to increase that number during the conference.
The forum continues until Friday.
lcarroll@thenational.ae
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In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The design
The protective shell is covered in solar panels to make use of light and produce energy. This will drastically reduce energy loss.
More than 80 per cent of the energy consumed by the French pavilion will be produced by the sun.
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A micro water treatment plant will recycle used water to supply the irrigation for the plants and to flush the toilets. This will reduce the pavilion’s need for fresh water by 30 per cent.
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Construction of the pavilion will take 17 months from May 2019 to September 2020.
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Scoreline
Germany 2
Werner 9', Sane 19'
Netherlands 2
Promes 85', Van Dijk 90'
RESULT
Kolkata Knight Riders 169-7 (20 ovs)
Rajasthan Royals 144-4 (20 ovs)
Kolkata win by 25 runs
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Sector: Startups
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Man of the match: Cheikhou Kouyate (Crystal Palace)
