Monday, December 04, 2006
Drug use on the increase
Social
A new opinion poll suggests that more than half of Iraqis know of the existence of illegal drugs and how to get them. Baghdad University’s Professor Arkan Saeed conducted the survey in Baghdad, questioning a random selection of 206 people. Eighty-one per cent said it was not that difficult to buy the drugs while only 18 per cent said they had no idea of their existence. Most worrying for the researcher has been the high use of illegal drugs among the 15-20 age groups.
He said 46 per cent of the youngsters in this group said they were using drugs regularly while the use declines drastically among older groups. Of the 109 males in the survey, 92 per cent said they bought various drugs and hallucination pills while only 2 per cent of the 97 females in the study said they were using them. One good sign for the researcher has been the high awareness among Iraqi drug users that addiction could be treated. Sixty four of the users said they were aware that treatment was possible if they wanted to.
The results of the poll, despite its small number of respondents, is evidence of the surge in the use of drugs in a country which before the 2003 U.S. invasion had the lowest number of drug users in the Middle East. The problem, according to researcher, is common among youngsters and if not checked, it may contaminate a large section of the society in the future. In the absence of law and order and restrictions on the dispensation of certain medicines, the number of Iraqis using hallucination pills and other forms of illegal drugs is expected to increase, Professor Saeed said.
He said 46 per cent of the youngsters in this group said they were using drugs regularly while the use declines drastically among older groups. Of the 109 males in the survey, 92 per cent said they bought various drugs and hallucination pills while only 2 per cent of the 97 females in the study said they were using them. One good sign for the researcher has been the high awareness among Iraqi drug users that addiction could be treated. Sixty four of the users said they were aware that treatment was possible if they wanted to.
The results of the poll, despite its small number of respondents, is evidence of the surge in the use of drugs in a country which before the 2003 U.S. invasion had the lowest number of drug users in the Middle East. The problem, according to researcher, is common among youngsters and if not checked, it may contaminate a large section of the society in the future. In the absence of law and order and restrictions on the dispensation of certain medicines, the number of Iraqis using hallucination pills and other forms of illegal drugs is expected to increase, Professor Saeed said.
