Campaign against misuse of prescription drugs starts today

Makkah Emir Prince Khaled Al-Faisal will launch on Sunday an awareness campaign against the misuse of prescription drugs, especially those used for the treatment of psychiatric and neurological disorders.

The inaugural function will take place at the emirate›s headquarters in Jeddah.

The campaign comes after the emirate has noticed through security reports that some of the youth use these medicines for other purposes.

Prince Saud Bin Abdullah Bin Juluwi, undersecretary for security affairs and supervisor of the campaign, said its objective is to enlighten all segments of society especially the youth on the dangers of misusing medicines by obtaining them without prescription.

The campaign also aims to boost awareness among the agencies that dispense such medicines, like pharmacies and hospitals. Prince Saud said the campaign will continue for seven weeks and it will focus on the youth and the facilities that dispense medication.

The campaign will be carried out in three strategies.

In the first stage, which is for two weeks, clear messages with an indirect purport will be presented to society with the aim of highlighting the harms of misusing medicines.

The second stage will focus on enlightening society on the harms of misusing medicines, raising the level of awareness on their adverse effects and putting a limit to such medicines spreading in society. This will be for three weeks.

The third stage, which will run for two weeks, will focus on participation and interaction and providing solutions, ideas and programs that will bolster the main goal of building a healthy, knowledgeable and secure society.