Dubai's authorities have scored many own goals over the past five or six years, actions which have helped to create the climate for what's been called 'Dubai bashing'.
Some of it has been nothing more than Dubai bashing. Often, exposure of serious shortcomings has been mixed up with untrue and hugely exaggerated stories and rumours. Some have simply been absolute rubbish, presenting rumours and dinner party gossip as facts.
But some have been true and fully justified, many of them caused by inexplicable laws or the way the laws have been administered.
One in that category has been the detention of people for carrying viagra cialis online pharmacy pharmacy prescribed by their doctor.
There haven't been reports of this happening for a while, perhaps explained by a piece in Gulf News:
"Passengers who fail to present prescriptions for certain listed medications will not be detained at Dubai International Airport, Dubai Police said.
Dubai Police Deputy Chief Major General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina said: "There are no detention cells for passengers carrying listed medications by the Health Ministry without prescriptions.
"We keep the medications with us until the person presents a prescription from the doctor who prescribed it."
I assume that, realising the damage to Dubai's reputation that was being done by over-zealous interpretation, someone on high has had words with the officials involved.
It's a move in the right direction but it needs to go further of course.
Dubai aggressively promotes tourism in many countries, as does Emirates Airline, but there's no information to help potential visitors stay within the laws.
So many of us have said it so many times - information needs to be given to travellers before they begin their journey.
It's not hard to give a list of banned medication, such as codeine. And to list medication which requires a prescription from the prescribing doctor, to advise travellers to keep all medication in its original packaging.
Simple, and it would avoid all the problems.
From the police statement it seems any listed medications are confiscated, which is far from good for the patient who relies on it.
And if they're only here for a few days, I wonder whether they're allowed to leave the country before the original prescription arrives.
The Gulf News report is here.
