By Mohammed Zaatari
SIDON, Lebanon: In light of reports
of rampant drug use across Lebanon, Sidon launched Sunday a civil council to
fight drug addiction. The body is tasked with developing programs to raise
awareness as well as establishing a specialized drug rehabilitation center.
At the ceremony to inaugurate the
civil council – the first of its kind in Sidon addressing addiction – Sidon
Mayor Mohammad Saudi said that the project “should be an example of breaking
the barrier of silence and fear of addressing the problem of addiction.”
The initiative was launched with the
support of Sidon MP Fouad Sinioria in cooperation with local civil society
organizations and the municipality.
Kuwaiti Sheikh Bader Homeidi and the
Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development contributed funding.
“We should use this as a launch pad
to spread awareness that the problem of addiction is not solved by locking the
addict up and depriving him of financial means. It needs experts who will work
with the addict at all levels to rehabilitate him or her and integrate the
person back into society,” Saudi told attendees of the ceremony
Attending were South Lebanon
Governor Nicholas Bou Daher, MP Michel Moussa and Future Movement official
Nasser Hammoud, representing MP Bahia Hariri, as well as representatives of the
various organizations involved in the initiative.
Arab Kalash, who heads the council,
praised Siniora’s efforts and noted that the work of the council concerned all
residents of Sidon, as everyone had a duty to help with the rehabilitation of
the city’s drug addicts.
One aim of the council is to promote
treatment options for drug addicts as opposed to imprisonment. In 2011, 216
individuals were detained and charged with drug use in Sidon and its
surrounding areas, according to figures released at the inauguration.
The council will put $1.1 million
from the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development toward establishing a
specialized rehabilitation center to treat addiction.
The center will offer medical,
psychological, educational and social services with a focus on reintegrating
recovered addicts back into society.
The holistic services will also
include vocational training to help individuals get back to work.
Another aspect of the council’s work to fight
addiction is to educate students in schools and universities. It will focus on
the dangers of drug use and break down the stigma surrounding addiction,
raising awareness that addicts are victims and not criminals who need to
undergo treatment, not trial.http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2012/Aug-13/184460-sidon-launches-first-council-to-fight-drug-addiction-rehabilitate-users.ashx#axzz23Ova9jeY
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