‘Alarming Drug Crisis’

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

MP Dr Maryam Al-Dhaen has warned that drug abuse in Bahrain has escalated beyond criminality into a full-scale national crisis that threatens families, youth, and the country’s long-term stability.

In a statement issued yesterday, Al-Dhaen called for a far-reaching institutional and social response, describing the proliferation of drugs and psychotropic substances as a “destructive project” designed to tear apart the nation from within.

Beyond Crime

“This is no longer an isolated offence. It is an organised, multi-layered threat targeting the minds of our youth and the cohesion of our society,” said Al-Dhaen, who sits on the Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security Committee in the Council of Representatives.

She was commenting on the recent decision by Attorney General Dr Ali bin Fadhel AlBuainain to establish a specialised Drug Crimes Prosecution, a move she welcomed as “a qualitative leap” in the legal fight against narcotics.

National Impact

Al-Dhaen stressed that drug-related harm is no longer measured only in crime statistics. “The true cost is reflected in the shattered families, the addiction victims we lose daily, and the innocent lives taken in drug-related accidents,” she said.

The scale of the problem, she warned, requires more than just judicial tools. “It demands an integrated response, bringing together lawmakers, law enforcement, civil society and educators,” she stated.

Call for Strategy

Al-Dhaen urged the government to accompany the new prosecution body with a national prevention plan. Her recommendations included awareness campaigns in schools and youth centres, expanded rehabilitation programmes, and financial tracking of drug traffickers.

She also called for judicial cooperation with other nations to confront international narcotics networks and dry up the sources of illicit drug funding.