Interior minister stresses joint action to fight drugs

Manama, June 28 (BNA): Interior Minister, Lieutenant-General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa attended a ceremony held to mark the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.  Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowment, Chief of Public Security, Capital Governor and officials were also present. The Interior Minister expressed thanks and appreciation to the sincere national drug-combating efforts, hailing the role of the Anti-narcotics Directorate in working against drug abuse and dealing throughout the year.  He appreciated the papers discussed during a conference held this week on the media and its role in fighting drug-related issued.  He said that protecting society from the risks of narcotics wasn’t an easy task, but a challenge, adding that Bahrain is a small strong-bonded society that its members could work together to protect its youth from drug abuse.  He said that the National Anti-drug Committee would review the commendations of the conference. The minister stressed that eliminating drug-related threats could be through a comprehensive awareness of the risks of narcotics on the growth of societies. He said that the future goals could be achieved through narcotics-free communities. He affirmed that lawbreakers would be punished by the law and youth should be promoted to “Say No to Drugs”.  “We work for you, but we cannot achieve anything without you. We need to work together to face the threat,” he said. During the event, the Director-General of Criminal Investigation and Forensic Science, Brigadier Abdulaziz Al Rumaihi announced a competition of the best university research on drug prevention for university students studying in Bahrain.