As part of the ‘Contemporary Social Issues’ course taught by Colonel Fouad Khoury, the Lebanese German University organized on 18 May, 2017 a conference on drug addiction among young people and some preventive measures to be implemented. Besides Colonel Khoury, the conference also featured Mr. Mohamad Osman, General Coordinator of the National Committee for the Fight against Drugs, and the committee’s consultant, Attorney Tony Khalife, who participated actively in debates that took place before a large audience made up of LGU students as well as faculties and administrative staff.

In fact, students had prepared a number of questions relevant to drug addiction and the real risk behind any abuse and whether it was safe to take small doses of marijuana. All specialists were unanimous concerning falling into the trap of first-time use and that the user is most likely to become addict after the first attempt. Another question was raised concerning the efficiency of the Lebanese government in preventing the cultivation of ‘hash’ and the propaganda regarding the economic benefits of its cultivation and trade to which specialists provided elaborate responses regarding the dangers involved in the cultivation of any type of ‘hash’ for trade or other purposes. The specialists also stressed that drug use for medicinal purposes should be restricted to certified labs under the control of the relevant authorities.

Following the conference and the open debate, the audience participated in a “fair” on various drugs organized by the Lebanese Task Force against Drugs that called the audience’s attention to the various types of addictive drugs and what preventive measures should be taken. Specialists also stressed the need to raise awareness among young people by displaying adequate information relating to the dangers of drug abuse that affect community members of all ages.

At the end of the event, the organizers and audience praised LGU for pioneering such an awareness campaign as part of its social responsibility acts.