The Number of Addicts to Industrial Drugs Has Increased '33 Times' During Ahmadinejad's Term

The head of the Drug Control Committee in the Expediency Discernment Council announced that 21% of the 13 million workers in Iran are addicted, and the number of individuals addicted to industrial drugs has increased from 10,000 in 2005 to 335,000 in 2013. Ali Hashemi, in an interview with ISNA published on Saturday, October 15, stated that the number of addicts in Iran exceeds 2.5 million, and considering 'recreational users', it reaches four million. Mr. Hashemi had previously mentioned that in 2011, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the then-President of Iran, did not allow the announcement of the results of an 'epidemiological study of addiction' that indicated the existence of 'four million users including recreational ones.' According to previous reports from the Drug Control Headquarters and the Ministry of Interior, the number of addicts, excluding those who use drugs occasionally for entertainment, is about 1.5 million. Hashemi also referred to the impact of unemployment on addiction, stating that the real unemployment rate in some Iranian cities has reached '70 to 80 percent.' He reported that based on reports from the Drug Control Headquarters, 21% of the 13 million Iranian workers are addicts. In this regard, Parviz Afshar, the Deputy for Demand Reduction at the Drug Control Headquarters, stated this October that '16 to 20 percent of the working community' are addicted. According to Afshar, some employers believe that drug use 'in the short term increases the productivity of their workers, and they may encourage workers to use drugs themselves.' Industrial drugs: increased consumption, decreased prices. Ali Hashemi, who was the head of the Drug Control Headquarters during Mohammad Khatami's presidency, also stated that at the end of Khatami's term, the number of addicts to industrial drugs was 10,000, but after Ahmadinejad's presidency, it reached 335,000. He also mentioned that during Ahmadinejad's eight years in office, due to the failure to implement resolutions related to 'managing consumption through poppy cultivation,' the price of industrial drugs dropped from 170 million tomans per kilogram to 9 million tomans per kilogram. The Expediency Discernment Council of Iran approved a plan for the cultivation of 'Papaver elaeagnifolium' in the early 2000s, but according to officials of this body, the plan was not implemented. The drug 'Buprenorphine,' used for addiction treatment, is derived from a poppy known as 'Elaeagnifolium,' which is an imported plant. According to addiction treatment plans in Iran, substances such as 'Tramadol,' 'Methadone,' and 'Buprenorphine' are sold in Iranian pharmacies. This plan has faced criticism, with critics stating that under this framework, substances like 'Oxycodone,' referred to as 'semi-heroin,' are distributed in pharmacies. Previously, officials from the Drug Control Headquarters in Iran announced that due to issues like the decreasing age of addiction, the 'pattern of drug use' in Iran has changed, with industrial drug use increasing compared to traditional drugs like opium. In this context, there has been a 'tenfold' increase in street addicts in Iran over eight years, with '20 percent of workers in industrial environments' consuming drugs. Annually, '500 tons of drugs' are consumed in Iran, with the number of drug addicts in Iran estimated at 1,325,000. A 'shocking' report from the Minister of Interior to the Parliament regarding addiction in Iran highlights the changing dynamics of 'proxy wars' and the conflict against the people in the streets of Iran.