National committee takes action to prevent drug trafficking in Iraq
Shafaq News / The Minister of Health, Saleh Al-Hasnawi, announced today that the National Committee for Drug Control is working on both internal and external fronts to prevent the entry of drugs into Iraq, while revealing the timing of the opening of treatment centers in all provinces.
In an interview with Shafaq News Agency, the Minister of Health stated, "The National Supreme Committee for Drug Control, headed by the Minister of Health, has been undertaking high-level work consisting of two parts: the first within Iraq, and the second outside Iraq in cooperation with neighboring regional countries."
Al-Hasnawi added, "The work is twofold: first, to reduce the influx of drugs into Iraqi territories, which is the supply aspect, and the second aspect is to reduce demand through awareness campaigns and the provision of services." He further explained, "Recently, the Quality Services Center for Drug Users has been opened."
The minister continued, stating that "there is a project in the Ministry of Health to open a specific center or unit in each province for treating drug users, which will commence its operations next year."
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani described the war waged by the Iraqi authorities against drugs and psychotropic substances as "complex" on May 9, 2023, emphasizing the importance of not relenting in confronting this menace that poses a threat to societies and countries.
The Iraqi capital, Baghdad, witnessed the first International Conference on Drug Control, which was attended by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Turkey, in addition to the host country, Iraq.
The conference also saw the participation of the Arab Ministers of Interior Council, the Arab Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention, Naif Arab University for Security Sciences, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The activities of the conference continued in Baghdad on the 9th and 10th of the current month of May.
