With exams set to start, students told to stay away from drugs

Students should not use illegal drugs such as Captagon, or any other stimulants, to stay awake during the upcoming final examinations because they can cause severe brain damage, a doctor said Sunday.
This comes as more than 3 million primary, intermediary and secondary school students embark on their final examinations on Sunday. Authorities have prepared a plan to deal with traffic, joyriding and other safety issues for the period.
These drugs upset the chemical balance of the brain leading to addiction, insomnia, headaches, vertigo and even epileptic fits, said Khaled Al-Oufi, assistant supervisor general for medical services at Al-Amal hospital in Jeddah.
It also affects the functioning of the heart and liver. Those addicted to stimulants would develop symptoms such as teeth grinding, excessive movement, talking, sleeplessness, high blood pressure, palpitations, pale faces and lack of appetite.
Al-Oufi said stimulants such as Captagon have become increasingly popular among students at times of examination under the false belief that it can increase concentration while reading and writing.
Abdullah Al-Thaqafi, director general of the Jeddah education department, said preparations are in place to handle the examinations.
“Finishing touches for the final examinations have been made including the recruitment of 2,000 monitors for the two-week period."
Spokesman of the Jeddah traffic department, Zaid Al-Hamzi, said 600 patrols and several officers and policemen would be deployed to ensure that there are no traffic jams on the roads from early morning until noon when the exams end. Patrols on motorcycles would be posted near schools to ease traffic congestion, he said.
Al-Hamzi said that the traffic department would arrest and confiscate the car of any student found drifting or performing dangerous stunts after the examinations. Repeat offenders would be fined SR500.