The Kafa Society for Awareness of the Dangers of Smoking and Drug Abuse has warned against the use of Captagon pills. Kafa executive head Abdullah Al-Sarouji directed the warning, issued to coincide with the school end-of-year final examinations period, at pupils and further advised teachers and parents to be aware of the use of the pill which is said to help students stay awake and study. “For dealers the examination period is a time for ripe pickings,” Al-Sarouji said. “They offer the pills to students virtually for free in order to promote sales. Parents need to keep an eye on their children and can play their part by trying to reduce the fear of exams and helping their children stay calm and study.” Al-Sarouji said that dealers had been observed making efforts to quickly gain new clientele. “They give out the pills for free to pupils during exam time, and this should ring alarm bells, particularly given the rise in the number of persons smoking which is the first step for many of them to going off the rails,” he said. He said that the issue is not the sole responsibility of educators. “Parents must also keep an eye on their children, particularly during this time of year. They need to warn them of the dangers of this sort of behavior and encourage a sense of responsibility toward themselves first and foremost,” Al-Sarouji said. Anti-Narcotics units in Taif, Al-Kharma, Turba and Ranya, meanwhile, arrested between Saturday and Monday “more than seven persons” on charges of drug dealing at boys' secondary schools. Abdulrahman Al-Qarni of the Anti-Narcotics Administration's Awareness department in Taif said that patrols had been stepped up to protect schoolchildren. “An increased presence has led to the arrest of more than seven people who were dealing drugs outside secondary schools, and the necessary action is being taken against them,” Al-Qarni said. “The Anti-Narcotics Administration in Taif has over the last few weeks been conducting awareness programs that have taken in schools and other sectors to warn against the threat drugs pose to both individuals and society at large.”
