By Wam

A top official at the Ministry of Health has recommended that 13 abused psychotropic substances be added to the UAE’s list of controlled medicines.



''Three types of natural drugs: Kratom, Kafa and Salivia, have also been recommended to be added to Table 4 of the UAE Federal Law No. (14) of 1995 on the Counter Measures against Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances,'' Dr. Amin Hussein Al Amiri, Assistant Under-Secretary for Public Health Policy and licensing, Ministry of Health, told the Hemaya International Forum Eleventh Edition, being hosted by Dubai Police on the theme ‘Prescription and Psychotropic Drugs Abuse: Challenges and Coping Strategy’ on Tuesday.



In his paper ‘Prescription drugs (controlled and semi- controlled) abuse, medical and economic impacts, challenges and Ministry of Health’s coping strategy,’ Dr. Al Amiri said most of the smuggled drugs, or 29 per cent, were seized in post offices, followed by airports at 26 per cent and then land and internal borders at 17 per cent.



He said that the Higher Narcotic Drug Review Committee had begun reviewing narcotic substances mentioned in the law and it would submit recommendations to the Federal Cabinet calling for reconsideration of the narcotic medicines tables and inclusion of new substances to the list of controlled narcotic items.



The Committee, he added, had also called for standardisation of the prescription of controlled and restricted medicines and psychiatric drugs, and for establishing an e-system for prescription and dispensation of medicines and psychiatric drugs in both the public and private sectors.







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