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According to the Supreme Leader’s representative in Gilan Province, drug abuse and trafficking is Iranian society’s “thorniest problem,” and contribute to theft, murder, suicide, violence, and divorce.1 Widespread availability of drugs may be one reason for drug abuse among Iranians. After all, Afghanistan—Iran’s eastern neighbor—is the world’s biggest producer of opium, and Europe is the main market for Afghan narcotics. Supply, however, is not the only thing driving demand; the availability of cocaine and synthetic
drugs is increasing too. This article will describe the state of opium cultivation in Afghanistan. Then it will examine, from the perspective of drug users and from the perspective of the people trying to end this scourge, why drug abuse has become so prevalent in Iran. It also addresses the response to the problem and how victims are being helped. Finally, this article describes the main factors hindering Iran’s war on drugs: bureaucratic disputes over funding and strategy, corruption, and ethnic and regional cleavages.
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