Main Concern of the Welfare Organization: Increase in Industrial Drugs and Addicted Women

The head of Iran's Welfare Organization states that currently, the most significant concern for the organization is the rising statistics of addicted women and the quadrupling of industrial drug consumption. Anoushiravan Mohseni Bandpay, on November 19, mentioned that the use of industrial drugs, particularly 'shishe' (methamphetamine), has increased from 5% to 22%. The report does not specify the time frame for this increase. Amphetamines are a type of nerve stimulant, produced industrially, and have both medicinal uses and are sold as drugs in the black market. In recent years, some Iranian officials have increasingly warned about citizens turning to 'shishe'. Other statistics provided sometimes exceed the figures announced by the Welfare Organization. For instance, last year, the secretary of the Coordination Council for Drug Control in Zanjan province stated that the number of 'shishe' users in Iran had reached 26% of all drug users. In the list of the most common drugs, this industrial substance ranks second after opium. The official news agency of the Islamic Republic, IRNA, also reported, without specifying the time frame, that the percentage of addicted women has increased from 4% to 10% of the total female population. This statistic has previously been mentioned by several government officials. Additionally, it has been stated that over 20% of the total population of addicts in Iran consists of women. The head of the Welfare Organization expressed hope that his organization would adopt 'scientific methods, especially community-oriented approaches and improving the livelihoods of addicts' for treating them. Recent concerns about the increase in addicts and changing consumption patterns come at a time when Iran is at the top of the list of countries that carry out the death penalty, with most of these sentences issued for drug traffickers or sellers. International organizations have repeatedly warned about the ineffectiveness of the death penalty in combating drug trafficking, yet Iranian officials have, in some cases, increased the number of executions in recent years. Amnesty International states that there is no scientific research or evidence that proves the death penalty deters individuals from engaging in drug trafficking or selling. Efforts to change the law in this regard within Iran have not yielded results.