Drug use among Syrians has almost tripled since the civil war began in 2011, with refugees in neighbouring countries also at higher risk of substance abuse, an imminent report will reveal.
The draft document seen by The National highlights the devastating effect of conflict on Syrian society, as the loss of community has made the young more susceptible to addictive drugs, with few medical resources available to support them.
It also sheds light on the little-known health implications of Captagon, a highly addictive amphetamine, which has raised security concerns in the Gulf and Europe.
“Substance abuse in Syria is not just a security issue, it’s affecting society, leading to more crime and people using the money to buy drugs instead of food,” said Dr Zaher Sahloul, president of the US-based medical aid charity MedGlobal, which compiled the report with the World Health Organisation.
“We are seeing the disintegration of society,” he added.
The report surveyed Syrians who were either living in regime and opposition-held areas, or were refugees in neighbouring countries such as Turkey and Lebanon. The north-east of Syria controlled by the SDF did not respond to requests to participate in the survey.
In Syria’s regime-controlled areas, more than one in 10 (11 per cent) of people reported taking drugs. This more than doubled among Syrian refugees who sought asylum in Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan, where one in five people (20 per cent) reported using drugs.
The opposition-held regions of north-western Syria recorded the lowest cases of drug use, at 5 per cent, with those living in displacement camps at higher risk.
This is an exponential rise since the start of the conflict in 2011, the report found, where 3 per cent of Syrians from all three groups reported using drugs before that year, compared to 8 per cent today. The vast majority of the respondents were under 40, with almost one in 10 drug users (9 per cent) under 30.
Three quarters of the surveyed group had university-level education, prompting concerns that the rate of substance abuse may be higher elsewhere.
Recent reports have highlighted the Syrian regime’s involvement in Captagon trafficking to the Middle East and Europe, which it allegedly uses to fund the cash-strapped government.
UK and US sanctions were imposed on relatives of President Bashar Al Assad, due to their suspected involvement in the production and trafficking of Captagon.
The European Union drugs agency this month warned some of the bloc's ports were being used to smuggle the tablets and that Captagon was being produced in the Netherlands.
More than 40 per cent of addicts reported using Captagon – making it the second most commonly used drug after cannabis, the MedGlobal report found.
The drug causes depression and irritability, the report found. The families and children of users were also at risk of becoming users themselves, its authors said.
Lebanon-based psychiatrist Maya Bizri, a co-author of the report, said the issues around Captagon went beyond addiction. “Stimulants and Captagon are correlated with crime and corruption. People are selling these substances for their financial needs, because there’s no other opportunities. It is a societal cancer,” she said.
Detox and maintenance
Though 65 per cent of drug users were unemployed, or had a monthly income of less than $100, they could obtain drugs as cheaply as $10 a month.
People surveyed in the report in opposition held areas said that Captagon was supplied from regime-held areas and Hezbollah, a Lebanese militia that supports the Assad regime.
But Dr Sahloul believes an unrecognised threat is addiction to opiates, which rose as a result of injuries from the conflict, and a lack of medical resources. “The opiates crisis is more important to my mind than Captagon, because it is more dangerous and more difficult to treat,” he said.
The risks of opioid addiction were particularly acute in north-western Syria, an opposition-controlled area with limited access to international aid, which has been subject to regular campaigns of Russian bombing.
“Many of the standardised detox and maintenance treatment regimens that are used in the US are not available in north-western Syria. You have to get creative around making the best out of what you have access to. There are also logistical barriers in accessing hospitals," said Dr Bizri.
The Azzaz Specialty Psychiatric Hospital, which is supported by MedGlobal through a partnership with Physicians Across Continent, is the only specialist psychiatric hospital serving a population of 4 million in north-west Syria, and includes a drug rehabilitation centre. The area has only four psychiatrists, according to the World Health Organisation.
This is compounded by a shortage in nurses trained to administer opiates or to look for signs of addiction.
The stigma associated with drug abuse has deterred patients from seeking help, and MedGlobal will host workshops in the coming weeks to establish the most effective ways of encouraging addicts to get treatment in north-western Syria.
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
More on Quran memorisation:
A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
ROUTE%20TO%20TITLE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERound%201%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Beat%20Leolia%20Jeanjean%206-1%2C%206-2%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERound%202%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBeat%20Naomi%20Osaka%207-6%2C%201-6%2C%207-5%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERound%203%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBeat%20Marie%20Bouzkova%206-4%2C%206-2%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERound%204%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Beat%20Anastasia%20Potapova%206-0%2C%206-0%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EQuarter-final%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBeat%20Marketa%20Vondrousova%206-0%2C%206-2%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESemi-final%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBeat%20Coco%20Gauff%206-2%2C%206-4%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFinal%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Beat%20Jasmine%20Paolini%206-2%2C%206-2%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The specs: Fenyr SuperSport
Price, base: Dh5.1 million
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 800hp @ 7,100pm
Torque: 980Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 13.5L / 100km
