Drugs, or the hidden war, became today an evil in the Arab countries. Each day that goes by, the problem deepens and gets more complicated. The 2009 United Nations World Drug report notes that 2009 marks the end of the first century of drug control, and that the illicit drug market worldwide has now become a $320 billion-per-year industry. However, more efforts should be made as drug-related violence continues unabated worldwide. In Yemen, in 2008, over 27 tons of narcotics, 14 million pills were seized, and 259 people were arrested for drug trafficking. This demonstrates the magnitude of the problem that inevitably slows down all kinds of development in the country.

Development is in a drug trap
Undoubtedly, drugs don’t only have influential impacts on the addicts, but also it has many other impacts. The most distinctive impact is destroying the society’s development through the spreading of the systematic crimes and corruption. Those two impacts are caused by drugs use or trading. An addict doesn’t think twice about doing most horrible crimes and most dangerous ones in order to attain drugs, either by stealing, murdering, raping, prostitution. These issues negatively affect the nation’s development movement. In addition, drugs have an impact on societies’ health. It’s an inseparable part of social development. It causes in spreading transmitted diseases through blood, as KABED virus and sexual diseases like HIV by sharing the nail between the addicts. Also, drugs demolish the effect of anti-virus pills that are given to HIV patients to prolong their age. Moreover, drugs don’t only lead to the mentioned disease, but also lead to severe depression and isolation and other diseases that inevitably lead to committing suicides and death.

Drugs fatal effects don’t stop here. It affects the national economy through two ways. The first is through wasting uncountable working hours, which lead to increasing unemployment rate. Second way is putting a heavy burden on societies’ shoulders by affording establishing rehabilitation centers expenses that will be huge amount of money. It also leads to an increase in child labor rate because lots of kids will be left alone because of addict parents’ lack of attention.

Furthermore, drugs socially affect development. The social relationships surrounding addicts are traited by unsolidity which effects the current generation and the next generation psychologically, leaving them with no ambitions and goals.

Agriculturally, drugs damage farms. The lucrative business of planting drugs tempts farmers to switch farming good plants with drugs.

On light of what is mentioned, drugs could deeply affect developments in all its levels in the Arab world. The growing increasing number of drugs volume, rings the bill of danger compelling an immediate action to be taken to fight the issue.

War on drugs is integrative task
According to the UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) what really undermines the fight against drugs is the lack of awareness. The fight against drugs has been hampered by society’s lack of knowledge. The society’s full involvement is crucial to combating drugs. Security efforts for combating drugs are only 30% of the solution, while the rest of the responsibility falls upon society.

The main remedy is preventing the issue’s occurrence and taking a better care of the youth who are the nation’s future.