13 psychotropic drugs under MoH scanner

dubai — A top official at the Ministry of Health (MoH) has recommended that 13 abused psychotropic substances be added to the UAE’s list of controlled medicines.

“Three types of natural drugs: Kratom, Kafa and Salivia, have also been recommended to be added to Table 4 of the UAE Federal Law No. 14 of 1995 on the Counter Measures against Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances,” Dr Amin Hussein Al Amiri, Assistant Under-Secretary for Public Health Policy and Licensing at the Ministry of Health, said.

He was speaking during the 11th International Hemaya Forum on Drugs being hosted by the Dubai Police under the slogan ‘Prescription and Psychotropic Drugs: Abuse, Challenges and Coping Strategy’.

In his paper titled ‘Prescription drugs abuse: Medical and economic impacts, challenges and Ministry of Health coping strategy’, Dr Al Amiri said the Higher Narcotic Drug Review Committee is reviewing narcotic substances mentioned in the law.

The committee will submit recommendations to the Cabinet, calling for reconsideration of the narcotic medicines tables and inclusion of new substances to the list of controlled narcotic items, he said.

The committee, he said, had also called for standardisation of the prescription of controlled and restricted medicines and psychiatric drugs, and for establishing an e-system for prescription and dispensation of medicines and psychiatric drugs. —