Malé, Maldives – Minister of Health Ahmed Naseem on Friday stated that the National Strategic Plan to control drug abuse is scheduled to launch in June 2022.
Speaking at the official ceremony held at Ghiyasuddin International School to mark the World Health Day, Minister Naseem described substance abuse ad a major illness is spreading in the Maldivian communities.
The Minister detailed that a number of studies have been conducted with the assistance of WHO to aid the development of the National Strategic Plan to control drug abuse. This plan is a part of the government initiative to build healthier citizens.
In September 2021, Health Ministry conducted a study showing that the age segment of drug users in the Maldives has increased drastically since 2014. In 2014 the average ages of drug users were between 22-37 years while the latest research shows that drug users fall between 17-68 in 2021.
Statistics also show that while more organic drugs were used in the previous years, the trend has changed with more chemical variants being used now. The sources of drugs have also expanded from South Asian countries to European countries like Netherlands and England.
