MOI holds awareness webinar on illegal drugs

The Department of International Studies and Affairs of the General Directorate of Drug Enforcement, in cooperation with the Public Relations Department of the Ministry of Interior, organized an open awareness seminar to the public through visual communication media on Monday, 9/28/2020.

Lieutenant Abdullah Qasim

Lieutenant Abdullah Qasim, Officer of the Media and Awareness Section at the Department presented the topic as part of the Directorate’s endeavor to raise awareness of all community members about the harms and dangers of drugs.

The webinar began by an introduction to the General Directorate of Drug Enforcement, as it is the authority concerned with implementing the operations of controlling and combating various drug crimes that occur in violation of Law No. (9) of 1987 and its amendments regarding drug control as well as explained the work strategy pursued by the Department that is based on reducing the illicit supply and demand for dangerous materials and psychotropic substances.

Lt. Abdullah Qasim also pointed to some of the functions of the General Directorate of Drug Enforcement, such as preventing, and controlling drug crimes and psychotropic substances, receiving reports and complaints, gathering evidence, carrying out investigation, and cooperating with other relevant departments to reach the perpetrators in preparation for bringing them to trial. The Directorate’s functions include combating and controlling the crimes of cross-border smuggling through the air, sea and land ports in coordination with the concerned authorities, and combating and controlling the cultivation of narcotic plants or their promotion inside the country.

More than 200 participated in the webinar through Zoom conference.

The webinar also dealt with a number of awareness-raising aspects regarding the prevention of the risks that drugs cause to the individual and society, and the types of medicines and medical drugs that are prohibited to be brought into the country or used without approved prescriptions. He urged the public not to carry the belongings of others while traveling to Qatar without checking their contents to avoid legal accountability.