Salwa Almoayyed

How come the criminal law in Bahrain punishes drug addicts severely just as drug dealers and drug traffickers? Where the first party is treated like criminals who deserve imprisonment for their use of drugs just as drug dealers, when the punishment only varies with the sentence period.

So why doesn't the Criminal Code differentiate between the drug dealer and the drug addict when it comes to penalties?

In fact, those who practice this dirty act as a profession for harming people are different from those who use drugs as addicts, likewise addicts require treatment, even if they promoted small quantities of drugs, we must know it's only getting their next dose that will quench their painful suffering; As long as they haven't received treatment and awareness to heal and start a clean life.

Meanwhile and with only one center "The Mohammed Al-Moayad Center for Combating Alcohol and Drug Addiction" There were many years spent in vain before people thought of setting up a drug treatment center.

So, the chances of recovery for these addicts, who is growing immensely every year since the establishment of this single-center in 1989, are few.

The inability of addicts to heal, is either because of ignorance or lack of treatment.

We all know the length of queues of addicts waiting to enter this modern center for intensified treatment, as there is no room for them, so they keep on doing drugs, harming themselves and their communities.

Thus, under criminal law, which considers the addict as a criminal, not a psychologically or socially ill human being, the terms of imprisonment of these addicts before their treatment are numerous, as they are sentenced to six months imprisonment for each time a drug user is arrested. These provisions are various up to seven years and more. 

Some of them are fortunate to respond to the excellent rehabilitation treatment performed by the treatment team in the rehabilitation section of addicts on the second floor of "The Mohammed Al-Moayad Center for Combating Alcohol and Drug Addiction", adding the great volunteer work carried out by the members of the Anonymous Addict Association with some of the volunteers who have recovered and came to support their colleagues to reach the stage of recovery after healing from addiction.

However, after recovery, they find themselves forced to return to prison to serve other old sentences registered against them before their recovery.

Right away, I seat this critical question; Isn't this addict who has recovered and wants to start a healthy, normal life has the right to be exempt from the old provisions resulting from the arrest of when he was an addict?

Furthermore is the deviation of a person to addiction due to the lack of consciousness, neglection of the family, other's bad influence or the ignorance of the consequences of taking drugs, is considered as cruel as a crime? I don't think that this corresponds to the truth.

As a matter of fact the addict is an ill person who needs treatment, not punishment.

And for him to be treated and qualified psychologically not to fall again as a victim to drug traffickers, we must help him to start a clean life and try to provide him with opportunities to be a productive human being in society. 

And not for the criminal law to bring him back to prison again to fall back as a victim of despair and hopelessness to the drug dealers at the prison.

As we all know that drugs reach the prisons and be dealt with by the prisoners, however, we don't know how it enters into the cells? It is the responsibility of the Ministry of internal affairs to prevent its presence there.

One of the recovered addicts stated; a 33-year-old man who is now carrying out old prison terms for being on drugs before his treatment; “Out of my bad luck, I got to know a group of bad friends when I was at school, they taught me how to smoke weed and Heroin, and due to my ignorance of their consequences, I thought that I could've quit it any time I wanted.

But I found myself unable to quit it, and I got more into the world of addiction Until I knew that there were a cure for it in "Mohammed Al-Moayad Center for Combating Alcohol and Drug Addiction",  I turned to this center and I thanked god that I finally found a solution for my case. I found an outstanding medical and psychological staff in dealing with us to get rid of addiction and start the stage of recovery psychologically and socially so that we can face those who try to drag us to drug dealers.

And today I recovered, but I can't start a new life, As I have to head back to prison to serve a previous sentence due to my drug addiction,  meanwhile  I still have three more years to serve.

And here I am, at the age of thirty-four, when do I get to start working”?.

This guy who is fully recovered is still serving his sentence, and the saddening thing is that he is gifted in carpentry and sculpture, also he is financially capable because his father is a businessman, to start having a small shop of his own to establish a healthy life.

I hope that state officials will revise the Criminal Code not to add these addicts as criminals who deserve to be imprisoned and punished severely.

But instead considering them as patients that we must aware and treat properly, as I hope for the ministry of health to establish another rehabilitation center that follows modern solutions in terms of treating the alcohol and drug addicts.

Considering that the addicts are increasing as results of the spreading of the drug epidemic and the ignorance of children and parents of the dangers of addiction also the neglect of parents to their children.

However, sending them to prison won't do any good, but pushing them to recover and to spread awareness among them is way more helpful, also establishing more rehabilitation centers to help them too after the recovery to work and be productive. That's what will truly help in decreasing the number of addicts in our society.