Gulf states are a prime target for drug dealers, an expert has warned.

That is because large numbers of affluent young people have money to spare, GCC Executive Bureau social affairs director Mahmoud Hafez said.

He was speaking at a press conference to announce the results of the ninth biennial Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa Scientific Award Contest, which was based on narcotics research and the effects on society and family, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

“Drugs always look for the best market,” he said.

“As society and the region increases in wealth and riches, drug dealers will also begin to target it more heavily. It does not exclude anyone, especially youth from 13 to 18 years old.

“In the GCC countries the main problem is heroin and cocaine, which is expensive, whereas in the Arab world in general it is more marijuana because it's widely available, reasonably cheap and can be smoked rather than injected or snorted.

“When it comes to drugs, there is a social responsibility. We believe that youth should be offered with means, programmes and centres to spend their free time without which it's easy for drugs to fill in that free time.”

The prize subcategories were associated factors of adolescent's drug abuse, the struggle of families of drug addicts and ways to support them and successful international methods for drug abuse prevention.

“We must prevent people from going down this path,” said Education Ministry higher education evaluation and accreditation assistant secretary-general Dr Muna Al Balooshi.

“We didn't want these studies to be purely theoretical, we want them to have a practical application. It looks family as a unit and sees how everyone is affected when a family member does drugs.

“For instance, the study regarding the psychological traits of young adults who abuse drugs is interesting because some personalities have higher risk behaviour than others. Being aware of that can give us a chance to reach them.”

Thirty-nine researchers from nine Arab countries participated in the contest and the prize ceremony is expected to be held in June.

First, second and third place receive $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000 respectively, but third place was shared this year - meaning the researchers received $1,000 each.

Dr Shaima Mohammad, from Egypt, won first place with a study on suggested methods of confronting economic and social factors leading to adolescent drug abuse.

Second place went to Dr Khalid Al Harbi from Saudi Arabia for a suggested model for helping families of drug addicts in Saudi society.

The third prize was split between Dr Hana'a Al Shwaikh, from Egypt, and Mirai Waheeba, from Lebanon.

Dr Al Shwaikh's study was on psychological traits of young adults who abuse drugs, while Ms Waheeba focused on the motives for seeking rehabilitation by drug addicts.

Information Centre for Women and Children director Dr Sami Dannish and Children and Mothers Welfare Society president Shaikha Hind bint Salman Al Khalifa also attended the press conference. - TradeArabia News Service