UAE Rolls Out All-round Strategy Against Drug Abuse and Trafficking

The United Arab Emirates has recently unveiled a new national strategy, one aimed at preventing the proliferation of drug abuse and trafficking through prevention, rehabilitation, and more severe penalties for those found to be offenders. According to Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, this strategy aims to raise local and international deterrents on drug dealers while spreading community awareness, constructing rehabilitation centers and correction facilities.

“Drugs are a scourge, a loss, an addiction. an illusion and a societal cancer that everyone must join together to fight,” Sheikh Mohammed said at the annual meeting of the Cabinet in Abu Dhabi on Monday, November 4. The new initiative mirrors the UAE’s continued drive towards the creation of a drug-free and safe society as it looks into both sides of the demand and supply issues on drugs.

The Sheikh Zayed Housing Program saw significant progress, with the percentage of citizens who are homeowners now standing at 91%. The operational efficiency of the program has also increased as it has reduced time taken in giving houses from four years to one year.

Moreover, the cabinet ratified 22 international agreements with 17 countries to boost cooperation in various fields, energy, trade, education, and legal matters. The above are features of the UAE commitment both to its domestic welfare and its growing global engagement.

Discussions during this year’s Government Annual Meetings, scheduled until November 6, 2024, will take on themes of national identity, family, and AI-this marks the beginning of future-centric policymaking but with timely attention to burning social problems.