Lhe Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE) called, Wednesday in Rabat, for the recognition of addiction in its different forms, including the new ones, as a disease that requires appropriate care for people who are affected by it. , while strengthening the means of combating and preventing addictive behavior.
The president of the ESEC, Ahmed Reda Chami, thus chaired a meeting by videoconference for the presentation of the opinion of the council on the phenomenon of addiction, entitled “Dealing with addictive behavior: inventory and recommendations”.
Presenting the results of a number of research and field studies carried out on addiction in Morocco in recent years, Chami noted that there were more than 6 million smokers, of whom 500,000 were under 18, that nearly 18,500 people injected drugs, and more than 9% of minors in schools had used cannabis at least once.
This research also revealed that 3.3 million people gamble, and highlighted the growing addictive use of screens, video games and the Internet, especially among adolescents and young people. .
“These are indeed alarming figures, which demonstrate the seriousness of this problem in our country, and the need to deal with its serious repercussions on the mental, psychological and physical health of the people concerned.”, estimated the president of the EESC.
ESEC recommendations
Ahmed Reda Chami, in this sense, underlined the importance of carrying out a revision of the Penal Code, which would allow, on the one hand, the systematic application of the legal provisions which oblige drug users to follow a treatment and, on the other hand, the toughening of penalties once morest drug and illicit substance trafficking networks.
He also called for reserving a permanent share (10%) of State revenue drawn from legal goods and services resulting from activities with addictive potential (tobacco, alcohol, horse racing betting, lottery, sports betting) for treatment, research and prevention. It should be noted that these goods and services generate a turnover of more than 32 billion dirhams, or nearly 9% of tax revenue and 3% of GDP.
The president of the ESEC then insisted on the need to legally recognize the discipline and the university degree in addictology and to adopt the statutes of the other professions linked to this discipline (psychologists, occupational therapists, etc.) with a view to developing the resources human.
Regarding betting and gaming companies, Ahmed Reda Chami called for the establishment of a national authority for the technical and ethical supervision and regulation of betting and gaming establishments and companies to prevent and fight once morest addictions.
It is therefore necessary to generalize access to opiate substitution treatment in all penitentiary establishments while guaranteeing the possibility of access to care for any dependent prisoner who expresses the wish, concluded the President of the ESEC.
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