Heroin Addiction Rising in Iran
Iran is located on an important heroin trafficking route from Afghanistan, which means that the number of drug addicts in the country rise every year. In fact, according to Reuters, it is estimated that there are about 130,000 new drug addicts every year in Iran. Of the 70 million residents in Iran, 930,000 are addicted to heroin and opium. Another 70,000+ are addicted to other drugs. Every year, these numbers increase making drug addiction due to heroin trafficking one of the biggest social issues in the country.
Afghanistan: The Cause of Iran’s Heroin Addiction Problem
Afghanistan produces more than 90 percent of the opium that is used throughout the world, and opium, of course, is used to make heroin. One of the major trafficking routes to distribute the opium across the world goes through neighboring Iran and Iran’s population suffers as a result through skyrocketing numbers of drug addictions.
A recent United Nations report stated that Afghanistan’s opium supply supports a worldwide heroin and opium market that brings about $65 billion per year. About half of Afghanistan’s supply goes directly to addicts in Iran, Europe and Russia.
Iran and Drug Addiction: Not Without a Fight
It’s not as if caravans of opium are openly driving down the streets of Iran unblocked by law enforcement of any kind. Just the opposite. The eastern borders of Iran are often the scene of gun fights and arrests as security forces and heavily armed drug traffickers collide. Despite the vigilance of local security, a great deal of opium still gets through and addicts abound, especially in the streets of Tehran.
Treatment options are available to those who have already fallen victim to heroin addiction in Iran. It is estimated that about 500,000 people have been treated and rehabilitated over a six-year period. This does not keep up with the 100,000 estimated new addicts every year and the numbers on how many remain rehabilitated versus relapsing and when are not available. But it’s a start and it shows that Iran is not ignoring the problem.
According to Reuters, “Iran has won praise from the U.N. crime agency for its efforts to curb smuggling of heroin and keep it off Western streets. In the 1990s, Iran began to build physical barriers to make it more difficult to slip narcotics into the country. More than 3,700 Iranian security personnel have been killed fighting drug smugglers since Iran’s 1979 revolution. Drug trafficking is punishable by death in the Islamic state. ”
Solutions for Iran’s Drug Addiction Problem
Unfortunately, if there were a magic bullet that fixed drug addiction, it would be employed all over the world. Iran’s situation is a little bit different due to the high rate of drug trafficking through the country, but drug addiction is just as serious here in the United States. Time has shown that a two-pronged approach works best: treatment for those who are already struggling with drug and alcohol addiction and education for those who would otherwise consider experimenting with drugs and alcohol. Iran has already begun to fight heroin addiction on both fronts. Do you have any suggestions?
