Three government agencies have united to tackle what is known as “digital drugs” — a type of sound-based drug that has recently spread via audio files across the Internet.

The National Commission for Drug Control, the Directorate General for Drug Control, and the Communications Authority are exploring measures to prevent the arrival of these “sound drugs” to the Kingdom. Abdullah Al-Sharif, secretary-general of the National Commission for Drug Control, said: “The three parties have held urgent meetings to study this type of drug.”

The commission also commissioned consultants to study the possibility of this new drug being accessible in the Kingdom, and officials have confirmed that no cases have yet been recorded. The type of drug is not new and has been mostly used in America and Europe, he said.

Unlike substances that are eaten, inhaled or injected, this drug comes in the form of “sound tones”, and are typically used by those who have reached a severe level of addiction, explained Al-Sharif.

He said exposure to these sound tones lead users to loss of consciousness and awareness.

The National Committee for Drug Control has also been working in coordination with the Director-General of the Anti-Drug Commission, Ahmed Al-Zahrani, and the Telecommunications Commission to “curb the spread of this scourge,” confirmed Al-Sharif.