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Newsbrief:
United
Arab
Emirates
Ponders
First
Step
Toward
Harm
Reduction
7/9/04
A top official in the Persian
Gulf emirate of Abu Dhabi has said the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is considering
shifting its drug policy to one treating drug users as patients, not criminals.
In informal remarks made at a United Nations' International Day Against
Drugs event in Abu Dhabi, Lt. Col. Abdul Rahman Al Shamsi, head of the
Anti-Narcotics Department of the General Directorate of the Abu Dhabi Police,
told the local newspaper the Khaleej Times that the UAE Ministry of Interior
was looking at "the new science-based approach" as part of its war on drugs.
In the UAE, the war on drugs
is aimed primarily at hashish, with opium and its derivatives a secondary
target. According to UAE figures from 2002, that year the Emirates
saw 275 drug arrests while seizing slightly more than a ton of hash, eight
pounds of opium, a half-pound of heroin, 20,000 "narcotic capsules" and
18 grams of marijuana.
While it may seem like just
a bunch of sleepy smoke to some, the UAE takes its drug war seriously.
Here's what the British Embassy says to travelers thinking about partying
down in the Emirates: "Penalties for drugs trafficking, smuggling
and possession are severe in the Gulf States. If you have used drugs
prior to arrival in the UAE and a blood test on you for illegal drug usage
proves positive, you can still be charged with a criminal offense.
In general the sentence for taking drugs is a minimum of four years in
prison and a minimum of seven years for anyone found dealing in drugs.
It can take up to six months or more for trials involving drug offenses
to be completed. During this time the accused remains in custody
on the basis that the eventual sentence will be longer than time already
served."
But now, the first glimmers
of change. "We will be treating drug users like patients, not criminals,"
said Shamsi. "They are victims and we will be helping them out to
give up the habit through rehabilitation and reintroduction into the society."
Shamsi was apparently referring
to a proposed new drug law. The UAE federal cabinet submitted a draft
bill to the National Council in February, where it is still undergoing
consideration.
-- END --
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Issue #345, 7/9/04
Editorial: Time for Congress to Get Real |
In the Wake of Blakely: Federal Sentencing Chaos as Defense Attorneys, Prosecutors, Lawmakers Ponder How to Respond |
House Votes Down Medical Marijuana Bill -- Election Year Politics, Organized Opposition Cited |
International AIDS Conference Puts Focus on Thai War on Drugs |
Making it Official: More Initiatives Move Toward November Ballot |
ALERT: "Thank or Spank" Your Congressman for This Week's Medical Marijuana Vote |
Newsbrief: Rep. Ron Paul Brings Pain Doctor Prosecution Issue to House |
Newsbrief: US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Rejects DEA Motion for New Hemp Hearing |
Newsbrief: Kansas Supreme Court Says Cut Methamphetamine Sentences |
Newsbrief: Tommy Chong Walks Out of Prison |
Newsbrief: Iranians Protest US, UK Blind Eye to Afghan Opium Crop |
Newsbrief: United Arab Emirates Ponders First Step Toward Harm Reduction |
Newsbrief: Head of National Drug Intelligence Center Fired |
Newsbrief: Prohibition as a Marketing Tool -- Camel Ad Campaign Touts "Forbidden Fruit" Appeal |
Newsbrief: This Week's Corrupt Cops Story |
Newsbrief: California Prisons "Dysfunctional," State Report Concludes |
Movie Opening: Maria Full of Grace |
Media Scan: New CSDP Ad -- Richard Paey and Rush Limbaugh |
This Week in History |
Psilocybin Cancer Research Study Still Seeking Participants |
The Reformer's Calendar
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