Under the supervision of the Dean of the College of Pharmacy, Professor Dr. Sarmed H. Kathem Al-Khateeb, the Continuing Education Unit and the University Psychological Counseling Unit at the College of Pharmacy / University of Baghdad organized an in-person training workshop entitled “Combating the Scourge of Drugs and Psychoactive Substances”, delivered by officers from the Iraqi National Security Service with the participation of a number of faculty members and students.
The workshop aimed to enhance awareness of the dangers of drugs and psychoactive substances, explain methods used to promote them, and highlight prevention strategies, while emphasizing the importance of community and security cooperation in protecting youth.
The workshop included several topics, including the risks of soft warfare and methods of targeting young people through the promotion of drugs and psychoactive substances. Also, it highlighted the psychological causes and motivations of addiction and its serious health, psychological, and social consequences on individuals and society. In addition, the stages of addiction and the long-term damages resulting from it were explained, along with an overview of the legal penalties stipulated in Iraqi law against drug dealers and users. Furthermore, the workshop also featured a documentary presentation explaining the mechanisms for tracking and pursuing drug-trafficking gangs, as well as the procedures for confidential reporting of security threats via the hotline (131). The workshop concluded that it is important to emphasize community cooperation and the role of educational institutions in raising awareness to combat this dangerous scourge, protect youth, and build a safe, drug-free society.
