Under the patronage of the esteemed Dean, Prof. Dr. Abdulkarim Hussein Ismail, the Continuing Education and Scientific Development Division, in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior’s Directorate of Counter-Narcotics, held a scientific symposium entitled: “The Risks of Drug Use, Addiction, and Psychoactive Substances, Their Trafficking, and Methods of Quitting.” Officers from the Directorate of Counter-Narcotics and the Community Police Force led the symposium. Faculty members and students of Al-Mamoun University College participated as well.

In his remarks, Prof. Ismail emphasized that the drug problem is currently one of the most critical challenges facing countries around the world—one they are striving tirelessly to combat due to its severe impact on health, social stability, economic wellbeing, and security. This issue is no longer confined to a single type of drug, one specific country, or a particular social class; rather, it encompasses all varieties and reaches all strata of society. Moreover, numerous new compounds have emerged that exert a significant effect on the nervous system and the brain.

The Dean also highlighted various factors that expose individuals to the risk of addiction, including: ignorance of the dangers of drug use, weak religious and moral deterrents and unhealthy social upbringing, family disintegration, poverty, ignorance and illiteracy, excessive wealth and wasteful spending without accountability, parents’ negligence and lack of proper supervision and guidance, the absence of open dialogue within the family, and keeping company with or befriending individuals of ill repute.