Pubdate: Mon, 20 Dec 2004
Source: Arab News (Saudi Arabia)
Copyright: Arab News 2004
Contact:  http://www.arabnews.com/
Author: M. Ghazanfar Ali Khan

SHOURA OKS DRAFT RULES TO CURB DRUG TRAFFICKING

RIYADH, 20 December 2004 -- In a major move to curb the growing menace of
drug trafficking and drug abuse, Saudi Arabia's Shoura Council has
formulated and approved new draft rules and regulations. The new rules aimed
at curbing drug abuse and trafficking in the country within the framework of
the Islamic Shariah laws were approved at a full-fledged Shoura session
presided over by Dr. Saleh ibn Humaid, chairman of the Shoura Council here
yesterday.

"The draft regulations to curb drug trafficking and abuse will be submitted
to the Saudi Cabinet for final endorsement before they are enacted as laws",
said Dr. Hamoud ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Badr, Shoura's secretary-general. The move
to introduce new legislation is intended to provide more strength to the
network of government agencies and the judicial system to fight this social
evil in Saudi Arabia, which is increasingly becoming a favorable destination
for drug peddlers.

Dr. Al-Badr said "the Shoura Security Affairs Committee has discussed and
debated various aspects of this social evil before preparing the final draft
of new rules and regulations". He pointed out that the new regulations
reaffirm the Kingdom's resolve to combat drug trafficking. He did not
disclose the details of the regulations, but said that the new rules and
regulations have several clauses on how to curb this menace on the local and
regional level.

The Saudi network currently in place to curb the menace of drug trafficking
and drug abuse, has been widely applauded. Recently, the Kingdom's punitive
action won praise from the United Nations office for drug control also.

In fact Saudi Arabia is a country with the lowest level of drug consumption.
Riyadh, however, has stepped up efforts fruther to check the menace of
drugs. The death penalty imposed by the Kingdom on traffickers has largely
discouraged them, said Lt. Col. Razzaq Al-Zahrani of the Anti-Narcotics
Commission in a report published recently.

Of late, the Kingdom has intensified its efforts to combat drug trafficking
and misuse of drugs. It has already set up four hospitals for treating drug
addicts.
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