An Awareness Workshop on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking at the Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences

The Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences at Damascus University, Department of Sociology, in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior, organized an awareness workshop entitled “Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking,” on the occasion of International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, at the faculty’s conference auditorium.

Vice President of Damascus University for Scientific Affairs, Dr. Maysaa Al-Sioufi, stressed the importance of holding the workshop in partnership between the university, the Ministry of Interior, and the National Union of Syrian Students, out of belief in the societal role that the university plays by raising awareness, proposing solutions, and optimally employing the intellectual, scientific, and humanitarian energies of young people, to be the cornerstone in the process of sustainable development in society.

In his lecture on the role of the Ministry of Interior in combating drugs, Director of the Medical Services Administration at the Ministry of Interior, Major General Michel Farah, pointed out that international reports issued by the International Narcotics Control Board and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime show that the drug problem is still worsening and increasing steadily in all rich and poor countries, developed and developing, and its trafficking and misuse have become among the most important problems that worry the entire world. He also notes that Syria participates in all the events and meetings organized by specialized international bodies and offices, the most recent of which was in the United Arab Emirates and was organized by the International Criminal Police Organization in 2022.

The workshop included several topics: the role of the Ministry of Interior in combating drugs, the health, social, and psychological effects of drugs, in addition to awareness-raising sketches presented by sociology students about youth and drugs, which presented real stories and cases from society.