During a meeting dedicated to the restitution of the opinion of the ESEC, entitled “Dealing with addictive behavior: inventory and recommendations”, Mr. Chami indicated that the fight once morest the phenomenon of addiction on the medical level , societal and legal, begins with the reconsideration of the dominant perceptions of addiction and the recognition of its different forms, including new ones, as a disease that requires appropriate care for those who are affected, while reinforcing the means of combating and preventing addictive behavior.
“The world is experiencing a resurgence of addictive behaviors whether they are linked to the use of psychoactive substances or the practice of certain potentially addictive activities. Morocco is no exception to this observation,” he said.
Presenting the results of a number of research and field studies carried out on addiction in Morocco in recent years, Mr. Chami noted that there are more than 6 million smokers, of whom 500,000 are under 18, that nearly 18,500 people inject drugs and that more than 9% of minors in schools have used cannabis at least once.
This research also revealed that 3.3 million people indulge in gambling, and 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,” said the president of the ESEC.
These repercussions extend to the family and society due to the high financial cost of the addiction, Mr. Chami added, noting that it has negative repercussions on the Kingdom’s economic and social development potential and dynamics.
Morocco is one of the first countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to adopt public health policies aimed at preventing and treating addictive disorders, he continued, recalling that many national plans and related measures have been put in place since the 2000s.
In this context, Mr. Chami insisted on the persistence, according to the actors, of the lack of structures for treating addictive behavior, of specialized medical human resources, in addition to the continued adoption of the repressive judicial approach which considers people addicts as indictable offenders, rather than seeing them as patients in need of treatment, which exposes them to social stigma and family exclusion.
“Addictive behaviors do not yet benefit from recognition and support from social protection bodies, and are not considered diseases despite their inclusion on the list of the World Health Organization (WHO),” he concluded.