Campaign against drugs, alcohol

The Lebanese head of Jeunnesse Anti Drug (JAD), Benoit Succar, said on September 22 that his institution's plan for this year included focusing on three main areas--drug awareness, nicotine addiction and alcohol addiction.

Speaking after meeting with Lebanese President Elias Hrawi, Succar said that he planned to publish a parent's guide to raise awareness and help parents who are unaware of detecting symptoms of drug or alcohol addiction that their children may have.

"We also plan to make clear the dangers of smoking which is the cause of 25 kinds of cancerous diseases.

"The new nargileh craze is also dangerous because it is rich with nicotine, which is poisonous " he said.

Succar said that the number of alcoholics was increasing, especially among women. However, the country has succeeded in reducing the level of drug addiction by some 70 percent.

"There are 50,000 volunteers working at JAD against drug addiction," he said. "It seems their efforts are producing results"