Iran Drug Addiction

Iran lies directly in the path of the world’s largest flow of heroin. Finished heroin, partially refined heroin in the form of morphine or raw opium leave Afghanistan and enter Iran—an estimated 140 metric tons a year of it. Only about 23 percent of it is seized each year or 32 metric tons. Most of the remainder enters Turkey and then travels through the Balkans on its way to Europe. As of 2008, half of the world’s seizures of heroin occurred in either Turkey or Iran.

While these seizures leave a vast quantity of drugs traveling down the conduit to Europe, the proportion of drugs seized in Iran and Turkey is much higher than that seized in other countries on this route. This fact leads international analysts to assume that law enforcement bodies in these other countries are more corrupt and under the traffickers’ control.

The difference in price of heroin at the Afghan-Iranian border and the Iranian-Turkish border means that traffickers could be pocketing US$450-600 million every year. These astronomical profits create brutality and viciousness that have resulted in the deaths of thousands of Iranian border guards over the last thirty years.

Ethnic Kurds populate much of the Iran-Turkey border areas and are thought to be heavily involved in the movement of drugs across this border. They then control some of these shipments all the way to Europe.

Amphetamines Enter the Iranian Market

Starting in 2005, Iran saw a large increase in the amount of amphetamines seized in the country. By no coincidence, Iran was also experiencing a growth in the legitimate demand for pseudo ephedrine. Wherever there is a supply of pseudo ephedrine, amphetamine-type drugs can be manufactured. An increase in the supply of these precursor chemicals makes a country more attractive to those who want to steal the precursor for their illicit manufacturing needs.

By 2008, 1.4 metric tons of illicit drugs of the amphetamine class (that includes Captagon and methamphetamine) were seized, followed by 2.4 mt the next year. Also in 2008, more than 23 metric tons of heroin were seized.

Iran Suffers From an Extreme Drug Addiction Problem

There are some analysts who describe Iran’s heroin addiction problem as the “worst in the world.” Estimates of the number of addicts vary widely—from one million to more than three million habitual drug users. A 2006 report estimated that 8 percent of the adult population was addicted to drugs.

In 2009, it was said that each year, 130,00 new people become addicted to drugs in this country of 70 million people. Over a six-year period, a half million people received treatment in a drug program. It is not known how many of these people successfully found drug-free lives in these treatment centers.

High unemployment figures cause desperation and that desperation can drive drug use. Drug abuse and addiction then can either drive the drug user into crimes to support his or her habit or wind the person up in jail due to an arrest for sales or possession of drugs. Out of the 170,000 people in jail in Iran, 68,000 are there for drug trafficking and 32,000 are these because they are addicts.

People Need Hope for Drug Addiction Recovery

Narconon brings hope to people around the world, with its drug addiction treatment program. In some forty locations around the world, citizens are recovering from the ravages of addiction. People need to know that there is a way to recover from addiction and that they can hope for a brighter future.

The Narconon Egypt Drug Rehab center can help your loved one get off drugs and regain sobriety.