1. ASSIGNMENT (1) COVER SHEET
Course name: Society & Drugs
Course number: PHC 314
CRN
Assignment title or task:
(You can write a question)
Essay Topic
Societies have evolved to believe that they have the right to
protect themselves from the damaging impact of drug use and
abuse.
(a) Mention the policies and prevention programs for
combating drug use and abuse in any country you
choose?
(b) Describe the Saudi Food & Drug Authority (SFDA)
the approval process for assessing the safety and efficacy of
a newly developed drug?
Student name:
Student ID:
Submission date:
Instructor name
Grade … out of 5
College of Health Sciences
Department of Public Health
2. Introduction
Drug abuse is defined as the excessive use of drugs like pain medications, alcohol and other
illegal drugs. Drug abuse is known to cause emotional, physical and social harm to people
involved. Besides, drug abuse takes place when individuals take medicines for wrong purposes
and it is caused by sexual and physical abuse, peer pressure, early exposure to stress, and drugs.
Policies and Prevention Programs for Drug use and Abuse
The rate of drug use and abuse is high in Saudi Arabia, where about 7 to 8% are reported to use
drug substances. Study shows that people who use drugs between 12–22 years old are 70% and
the most common drugs abused include heroin, Cannabis, and alcohol. One of the prevention
programs used to combat drug use and abuse in Saudi is an awareness campaign that focuses on
the youth. The Dubai police, Right Start International Foundation, with the help of some leaders,
organized HEMAYA Campaign to help educate youths on the dangers and risks associated with
drugs abuse and how to avoid it (Fawzi & Mansouri, 2017). The 2007 world drug report indicates
that the trend of illicit drug distribution and production is worrying in the Middle East, contributing
to the increased rate of drug abuse. In essence, to reduce this trend, the initiated campaign covered
most of the Maghreb countries, Yemen, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, and Palestinian.
The HEMAYA campaign's massive dissemination of information was accompanied by events
organized to occur in youth clubs, schools, Universities, Local Companies, and public places.
Individuals and organizations organized several events such as training sessions, concerts, and
school conferences to raise awareness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle and the dangers of
drug abuse. The campaign was supported by satellite TV stations which aired several programs
topics related to drug abuse (Fawzi & Mansouri, 2017). In Saudi Arabia, drug abuse is discouraged
by conservative cultural and religious norms. The government has focused on ways to combat the
abuse and trafficking of narcotics by imposing the death penalty for smugglers of drugs in the
country. This has made drug trafficking, and abuse does not pose significant law enforcement and
social problems to society.
3. Describe the Saudi Food & Drug Authority (SFDA) approval process for assessing a newly
developed drug's?
The SFDA is responsible for conducting a 3A review, a full assessment of the drug approval
process. The agency uses this form to assess the quality data, pre-clinical or safety, clinical or
efficacy in detail, and evaluate the pre-registration information before the drug can be authorized
(Hashan et al., 2016). The SFDA also requires information related to drugs pricing as part of the
review process to ensure the safety and quality of drug products. The SFDA has also enhanced
the quality and safety of medicines by having stipulated target times for scientific assessment,
validation, authorization, and approval of any manufactured drugs. The primary scientific review
takes place internally with the help of external experts used on an ad-hoc basis for clinical matters
and recommendation advice. At the same time, the quality, safety, and efficacy data review are
conducted in parallel.
Conclusion
In summary, the policies and programs for drug use and abuse prevention are very critical since
they always purpose to reduce the abuse of several drugs as well as to enhance good health. Some
of the policies and programs used in Saudi Arabia to combat drug abuse included death penalty
for drug smugglers and HEMAYA campaign which created awareness.
4. References Lists
Fawzi, M. M., & Mansouri, F. A. (2017). Awareness on Digital Drug Abuse and its Applied
Prevention among Healthcare Practitioners in KSA. Arab Journal of Forensic Sciences &
Forensic Medicine, 1(6), 625-633.
Hashan, H., Aljuffali, I., Patel, P., & Walker, S. (2016). The Saudi Arabia food and drug authority:
An evaluation of the registration process and good review practices in Saudi Arabia in
comparison with Australia, Canada and Singapore. Pharmaceutical Medicine, 30(1), 37–
47. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40290-015-0124-4
