Parents warned as 'playground dealers' sell drugs to children in UAE

Students as young as 10 are spending their pocket money on deadly drugs including heroin, police have revealed. Older children are peddling illegal substances in the playground - getting the youngsters onto drugs by telling them the substances will help them with their studies. The pusher pupils are then using the proceeds from their deadly trade to fund their own drug habits. The shock findings were revealed by the Ministry of Interiors 999 magazine, which also reported that the average age of children in the UAE who have tried drugs is now just 12. While police say teen dealers are using social media to push drugs including the addictive substance Spice, tramadol pills and, in some cases, heroin. Officers told parents to be vigilant, adding:A lack of interaction between parent and child is a reason for the rise in early drug use. Lieutenant Colonel Awadh Saleh Al Kindi, Editor-in-Chief of 999, added:The popularity of social networking media among the young has made it easier to exploit these platforms to lure them into drug use. The average UAE school kid is now likely to be exposed to narcotics at the pre-teen stage. We have strengthened policing and monitoring but would like to continuously flag the importance of family ties in eradicating this on-going war against drugs. We have to combat drugs as a family, as a peer group, as an educational institution and as a social organisation. The magazines report said the drug cycle begins when teens are lured by dealers and they then become peddlers, preying on young children. Children are either misled into thinking that some of the drugs can help enhance their academic performance - tramadol is passed off as a vitamin - or that the substances are mildly mood-lifting and, therefore, pose no great danger. Kids are also raiding cupboards at home in search of illegal highs. Parents are being warned household items like butane gas canisters and glues can be lethal when inhaled deeply. Deputy Director of Dubai Police General Khamis Mattar Al Muzaina has ordered officers to pay more attention to the issue. We need to warn university students of the dangers of drugs,he said. We will have many educational campaigns targeting them. Programmes to take the message to pupils and their parents are being carried out across the UAE and the National Rehabilitation Centre in Abu Dhabi has partnered with schools. Related Links: Schoolboy brings heroin to show-and-tell Drugs haul hidden inside pink teddy bear

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Parents warned as 'playground dealers' sell drugs to children in UAE