Authorities, civil society express concern over rising drug use

With tears in her eyes and determination to tell the story of her sister’s death from a drug overdose, Salwa (not her real name), said: “perhaps the hardest thing in life is to have your own flesh and blood die slowly in front of you without being able to stop it.” Salwa, a 23 year-old sociology graduate, didn’t wish to provide her real name, due to the sensitivity of the case and the conservative nature of Lebanese society. “Lebanese society is ruthless. People still don’t understand that, if you’re a drug addict, it means you’re sick, not contagious – that you need help,” she said. “They look down at drug addicts without attempting to help them, which only makes them more desperate.” Salwa lost her 15 year-old sister Ghina (also not her real name) to drugs three years ago. “My family never speaks of how my sister died. To the world, she had a heart problem and died peacefully,” explained Salwa, unable to suppress her tears. “But that’s not the truth. She overdosed on heroin and died in her bedroom.” According to Salwa, her sister began doing drugs when she was only 14 years old. “Her friends first convinced her to try hashish,” Salwa said. “One thing led to another, and she soon became addicted to heroine. It was too late when we found out.” A rising trend Ghina was only one of thousands of young Lebanese to give in to the temptations of drug use. According to officials at the Ministry of Social Affairs, the rates of drug use among people under 18 has risen in the last five years, and has become increasingly common among children as young as 12 and 13. The trend was obvious in a 2005 report prepared by local NGO Skoun, which provided the first walk-in outpatient therapeutic facility in Lebanon to provide drug users with treatment. According to the study, the majority of those seeking treatment for alcohol and drug addictions were between the ages of 15 and 25. “There’s been an increase of young drug and alcohol abusers,” said Skoun co-founder and prevention coordinator Nadya Mekdashi. “Even adults who come to us say they started using drugs when they were 14 or 15.” The drugs in question range from alcohol to hashish, cocaine and ecstasy, Nadya said, “although we don’t see much in the way of intravenous drug use”. According to Nadya, one of the reasons driving young people towards drug abuse is a perceived lack of empowerment. “They graduate from college knowing they won’t find jobs,” she said. “They’ve lost faith in the future; partying is their only outlet.” Attempts at prevention In an effort to halt the trend, the Social Affairs Ministry recently opened a development centre in the Ain el-Remmaneh area in Beirut devoted to drug-abuse consultation and awareness. “Our youth need something to keep them off the streets and away from drugs and crime,” said centre director Lydia Abi Daher. “That’s why we’ve provided a place where they can come and play billiards or computer games under supervision. We also do awareness campaigns at the centre and in schools in order to teach children the dangers of these poisons.” According to a recent survey by the interior ministry, the number of drug addicts caught by the Internal Security Forces almost doubled between 2001 and 2005. This year alone, some 430 drug addicts were arrested. The most common drugs found at arrests are hashish (37 percent); cocaine (29 percent); and heroin (28 percent), according to ministry data. The authorities, meanwhile, appear to have recognised the seriousness of the problem. Acting Interior Minister and Youth Minister Dr. Ahmad Fatfat told IRIN that the increase in drug use was a matter of grave concern. “Everyone is concerned how to deal with this epidemic on the ground,” said Fatfat. “Internal Security Forces are doing their best in this regard in collaboration with other sectors.” Some observers point to recent legislation as a step towards alleviating the epidemic. “The new law, number 673 of 1998, allows an addict seeking to be cured to enter a rehabilitation facility instead of serving prison time,” said lawyer Antonios Abi Kasem. He went on to note that the new law also took notice of addicted minors, stipulating that they “can be exempted from serving the term… if he or she pledges not to repeat the incriminating act, and executes the court’s orders to seek treatment.”