Finally, I see something in the newspaper about this epidemic in Kuwait.
Kuwait
Scrambles To Curb Spread Of Crystal Meth
‘Shabu’ Spreading Like Wildfire
KUWAIT CITY,
Nov 14: Methamphetamine, also known as Crystal Meth has been spreading
throughout the country like wildfire, authorities are scrambling to curb the
rapid spread, and Parliament is doing what it has to do from its part. Criminal
lawyers and officials from the government affirm that cases of crystal meth,
locally known as “shabu,” has already clawed its way into the lives of the
youth, posing a great threat to their lives and the lives of the people around
them.
For this
reason, the constitutional union bloc organized a seminar at its headquarters
in South Surra Wednesday night. Under the theme “Shabu ... an imminent danger,”
the seminar lamented the reasons behind its recent spread, symptoms and other
important information that the public ought to know about the drug, through
speeches from concerned experts.
Dr Hassan
Al-Musawi, a well known psychologist and education specialist was first of the
speakers to assert that the recent spread of crystal meth cases is due to the
lack of awareness, and the improper manner of addressing the addict, in
addition to numerous other factors.
He asserted
that we have to look at the issue from a bigger perspective, and for the
general public to stop looking down on parents with children that are addicted
to some sort of drug, for the sole reason that it is not constructive in any
way.
Dr Hassan
also pointed out that the inconsistency in governmental surveys regarding the
number of youth addicted to crystal meth is also an issue, for the number given
by the ministry of interior differs from the number given by let’s say the
ministry of education, which has ran a survey in schools asking them if they
have tried crystal meth and how many times.
In the
ministry’s point of view, a student that has honestly answered and wrote “a
have tried it once,” is counted as an addict which is a big mistake in his
opinion. Based on his experience in dealing with drug addicts, from teenagers
to young men in their 30s, with parents that are on the brink of giving up of
them, Dr Hassan noted that whenever he asks the question “what made you start
taking drugs,” they almost always answer the same way “what doesn’t make us do
it.” In most cases, drug addicts usually suffer from some sort of depression,
they feel that the world is against them, they have no guidance, they feel
lost, Dr Hassan further clarified that “we cannot place the whole blame on the
addict, for there are many factors that has contributed to his problem.” Dr
Hassan explained that spreading awareness among the youth is not going to be
affective enough if the parents are not educated on the matter as well, urging
parents and families to learn the behaviors and symptoms that might lead to
drug consumption, or indicate that they have started taking drugs, for the
reason that it is a vital factor in safeguarding the youth from drug addiction.
When it comes to governmental authorities and the general public, Dr Hassan
stated that it is not helpful when authorities treat individuals with Gender
Identity Disorder (GID) or an addict as some sort of degenerate, or parents and
families giving up and accepting that this is their punishment from God. “We
should not be quick to judge,” affirmed Dr Hassan as he explained that there
are numerous factors that have lead to this issue that we are unaware of, that
is why we need to pin point the issue and resolve it from the source, or else
it is just a matter of time before they spiral out of control.
Before
concluding, Dr Hassan stated that there is much to do with regard to combating
drug addiction, and we are all in it together, families, the public, the
authorities and the law, which he noted includes unnecessary provisions like
preventing a rehabilitated addict from acquiring a job before five years of
being “clean.” Disagreeing with Dr Hassan, Abdullah Al-Sanad, a prominent
criminal lawyer stated that the Kuwaiti law is by no means at fault or flawed,
as it is solid in terms of protecting the public from narcotics and the issues
it entails, pointing out that the fault is at the enforcement of the law
itself.
He added
according to the Kuwaiti law, a drug dealer is sentenced to death if he was to
be proven guilty, but since enforcement is poor, the time spent between the
sentence and its execution can span out to 4 years, pointing out that by that
time, the public has already forgotten about it, which negates half the reason
of a capital punishment, which is “setting an example.” Abdullah went on to
express his grief on the fact that this class A drug is now easily attainable
by 15 year olds, and when asked “why are you doing this to yourself?” they
simply reply with “i want to escape reality.” In his opinion, all this can
easily be avoided if the public is well informed, stressing that the Kuwaiti
youth are generally bright and full of life, therefore getting caught in this
web of addiction must be from an exterior element.
He says this
because of a case he handled recently, where he asked a straight A student who
became an addict of crystal meth for the reason behind his consumption, and was
answered with “I was told that it would ease me up.” “The poor boy did not know
what crystal meth was,” stated Abdullah as he asserted that a continuous
campaign on crystal meth awareness is vital in preventing such cases.
To further
assert his point, Abdullah shared the story of one of the first drug dealers
caught distributing crystal meth.
He said that
during those days, “shabu” was not recognized as a narcotic at the ministry of
interior, prompting the dealer to import the substance and start his network in
the country. He was later caught, but was confident enough to answer the
Kuwaiti Drug Enforcement Authority when he was asked what it is he is
distributing.
Considering
the authority did not know what “shabu” was at the time, and it was not
registered in their books, they resorted to blood testing, which came back
showing that the person has Methamphetamine in his blood stream, a drug that is
recognized and punishable by death in case of distribution.
On his turn,
Abdulrahman Al-Saleem an experienced pharmacist and a member of the board of
directors at the Kuwaiti Pharmacists Association, asserted that Methamphetamine
is considered one of the top ten most dangerous drugs, just next to Heroin and
Cocaine. Abdulrahman revealed that the majority of the substance if not all of
it, that is being distributed in the country is not imported from outside the
country, but rather being produced inside.
And this is
mainly because “producing Methamphetamine is as easy as baking a cake,” as long
as you have the ingredients which can be bought from pharmacies and general
stores, and have the equipment for the procedure, you can make it. He also
lamented the fact that the country does not recognize the capability of
rehabilitation centers in cleaning up an addict, leaving parents with no other
choice but to send their addicted children to psychologists, which in his
opinion is not an affective measure.
On the other
hand, Ahmed Al- Hunayan, an expert in computers and IT shed light on another
phenomenon that has been spreading recently. He referred to what is now known
“digital drugs” which is basically “binaural beats.” He explained that binaural
beats is an audio file that one can download and listen to, via headphones for
the purpose of going into a trance and experience a “high” similar to what you
experience when you consume drugs like crystal meth. Although the affects are
only on a mental level, the danger lies on how this product is being marketed.
As Ahmed
pointed out that the term “digital drug” is a commercial term for binaural
beats, in order to make it more appealing to the youth. He further explained
that websites that allow you to download these files in exchange for a low fee
categorize the audio files according to the type of “high” one will experience
if listened to.
For example,
if you want the “high” of crystal meth you download a specific file, if you
want Marijuana, you download another. Youth who find their way into these kind
of websites, download the file, and experience the high, will only wonder how
the real drug feels like, which might lead them to purchasing the actual drug.
---
Of note is that this article is full of spelling and punctuation mistakes. Spell check, dudes. Whutup?
And I'm sorry, but the use of Shabu/meth is NOT limited to the young in Kuwait. Older people are using too. The whole country seems to be tweaking. The stuff costs less than alcohol.
