Annual Consumption of 60 Million Liters of Alcohol in Iran

Roozbeh Kordouni, the director general of the Social Damage Affairs Office of the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare, stated that approximately 60 million liters of alcoholic beverages are consumed annually in Iran. According to ISNA news agency, Kordouni made these remarks on Saturday, January 1, and noted that this figure is based on estimates from the Social Damage Affairs Office of the Ministry of Labor. Previously, Iranian media reported that Ali Akbar Sayyari, Deputy Minister of Health, Treatment, and Medical Education, mentioned an annual consumption of 420 million liters of alcohol in the country. Media reports indicated that Sayyari presented this statistic in a meeting with law enforcement officials, but the Ministry of Health denied these reports. There are no accurate statistics on the exact amount of alcoholic beverage consumption in Iran, and various officials have repeatedly provided conflicting figures in this regard. In October 2014, Hassan Tamini Lechai, a member of parliament, cited the Director General of Mental Health at the Ministry of Health, stating that the annual consumption of alcoholic beverages in Iran was 200 million liters. This statistic comes at a time when Mohammad Masoud Zahedian, head of the moral security police of NAJA, reported a 49% increase in confrontations with producers and distributors of alcoholic beverages in the country. According to Islamic Penal Code, the consumption of alcoholic beverages is forbidden in Iran, and the punishment is 80 lashes. After two executions of this punishment, repeated consumption of alcoholic beverages can lead to execution. In addition to homemade and medical alcohol, a significant portion of the alcohol consumed in Iran is smuggled from abroad. On November 1 of this year, Alireza Jamshidi, head of the Organization of Trade and Sanctions, reported a $1 billion smuggling of alcoholic beverages into Iran. Jamshidi described this statistic as 'a disgrace for the country' given the prohibition on the purchase, sale, and consumption of alcoholic beverages in Iran, stating that this issue should not be considered 'small.' There are also no accurate statistics on the number of alcohol addicts in Iran, but former police chief Ismail Ahmadi Moghadam stated that the number of alcohol addicts in Iran is close to 200,000. The consumption of non-standard and smuggled alcoholic beverages has repeatedly led to death or loss of vision for some consumers in Iran. In 2013, more than 350 people in various cities of Kerman province, including Rafsanjan, were poisoned due to drinking counterfeit alcoholic beverages, and seven died. In December 2014, it was reported that in just seven months leading up to that date, 53 people in Iran lost their lives due to 'alcohol abuse.' In this context, '17%' of street children in Iran have consumed alcoholic beverages. During the past seven months, 53 people have died due to 'alcohol abuse' in Iran. The increase in the moral police's confrontation with 'satellite and alcoholic beverages' has been noted. A member of parliament reported the consumption of 200 million liters of alcoholic beverages in Iran. The first 'alcohol withdrawal center' in Iran has been authorized. The Welfare Organization of Iran will establish an alcohol addiction treatment center. The Iranian government is forming a committee to 'combat alcoholic beverages.' The police chief stated: 'We have two million addicts and 200,000 alcoholics in Iran.' '102 people' have died in Iran in the past seven months due to alcohol poisoning. The confirmation of the death sentence for two people for 'consuming alcoholic beverages' in Iran has raised concerns from the Iranian Ministry of Health regarding the prevalence of alcohol consumption in Tehran.