DRUG ABUSE AND ITS SOCIAL EFFECTS, CAUSES AND PREVENTION IN IRAQ: AN ANALYTICAL SOCIAL STUDY

Abstract

INTRODUCTION:Drug abuse is a real threat to societies and it is one of the most complex problems facing today societies. It is not less dangerous than terrorism, because it affects all forms of social and economic activities: human health, and mental, psychological and social conditions. It may affect the security and stability of the community through the deviant behavioral distortions. There are close ties between drug abuse and crime of all kinds such as murder, theft, rape and smuggling, etc. It damages economy, as well. Drug abuse may stem from the poor capacity of society in production, lack of potential jobs, and low employment rate.The growing number of drug abusers threatens all levels of society. No one is safe, and it will become more complicated when we take insufficient preventive and clinical means into account. This calamity is global, multilateral and severe. The abusers' population grew to 185 million people, based on the latest UN report in 2004. This figure was 5 million more than previous sensus in 2003. This amounts to 3% of the world's population, and demonstrates the intensity of the problem.Due to the leakage of large quantities of drugs into Iraq, it is required to seek ways to restrict its prevalence and to treat the patients. Consequently, this study attempts to address the causes of the drug abuse, and the relevant preventive measures. This study aims to provide authorities with information which assists them in addressing the problem and protecting the society against its consequences.STRUCTURE OF RESEARCH:Research Problem: It is difficult to estimate the real number of drug abusers, since people are reluctant to declare themselves as addicts and the formal statistics represents only 10% of the real population. The nature of the problem is complicated in Arab societies because of political, religious and moral reasons. Lack of diagnosis and registration of drug addicts, as well as shortage of adequate health centers make available statistics unreliable.A reason for the unknown dimension of the problem in Iraqi society is the absence of clinical facilities for addicts. On this basis, our study tries to answer the following questions:-What factors lead to drug abuse?-What is the role of the society and the competent authorities in dealing with this phenomenon?THE IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH:The severity of the phenomenon (drug abuse) necessitates the investigation of relevant factors and their impact on the behavior of the abusers from social, economic and productivity perspectives. The seriousness of this problem requires us to strive for all possible ways to access the basic information, and to enable authorities to develop an integrated program addressing the problem. .RESEARCH OBJECTIVES:1. We try to provide as much information as possible about this phenomenon and find ways to prevent drug abuse and treat its complications.2. We intend to present the problem of drug abuse to our society, because the evidence indicates that Iraqi people are ignorant of the role drug abuse plays in social problems.3. We warn the concerned authorities about the seriousness of the matter so that they may take precautionary and preventive measures.METHODOLOGY:An analytical-descriptive method was adopted, by collecting data and information from scientific sources. The collected data were analyzed and compared to the reality in which we live to devise effective preventive measures for drug abuse. In addition, we introduced a realistic approach towards research whose philosophy lies in accurate knowledge of the effects of drugs on social and personal lives.DEFINING SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS AND TERMINOLOGY:1. Anesthetics: It is any substance that enters the body of the organism and disrupts one or more of its functions. The word anesthetic in language is said to a substance that anesthetizes the body and taking it causes loss of sensation or consciousness. …