Teaching Comparative

Changing Policy in the face of Official Truth

Policy debates in a state that recognizes an "official truth" can be difficult and extended. Such seems to be the case in Iran. This report is from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and seems to based primarily on public records and public statements of officials.

Iran's Drug Problem Goes Beyond Afghan Deluge

"...Iran's drug problem is not merely supply-driven, however, with domestic opium cultivation making a return and the popularity of synthetic drugs on the upswing.

"The UNODC reported in 2005 that some 60 percent of the opiates (opium, morphine, and heroin) produced in Afghanistan leave that country via Iran...

"Tehran tends to look at domestic drug abuse as a supply-driven issue that can be addressed mainly through interdiction and law enforcement. But a resurgence of domestic opium cultivation suggests that the problem is more complicated...

"Opiates originating in Afghanistan are not the only illicit drugs that Iranians are using. Ecstasy (MDMA) was once smuggled into Iran from Europe, but is now frequently produced locally. Other 'club drugs' -- such as GHB, Ketamine, LSD, methamphetamines (crank), and Rohypnol -- also appear to be gaining in popularity...

"Tehran's emphasis on supply-interdiction versus demand-reduction has undergone changes in recent years. Each approach has its proponents. Initially, the government had a law-and-order approach that considered any drug-related offense a serious crime...

"This approach filled prisons, but addiction rates continued to rise as the average age of drug users fell. The strategy changed during the latter years of Hojatoleslam Mohammad Khatami's presidency (1997-2005), and an increasing amount of the drug-control budget was shifted to demand-reduction efforts and to treating addicts...

"Iran's state Welfare Organization's prevention and addiction-treatment department claims that 8 percent of the population is addicted to drugs... [and] noted that Iran sees 90,000 new drug addicts every year, with more than 180,000 people treated for addiction in the state or private sector. He listed 51 government facilities, 457 private outpatient centers, and an additional 26 transition centers that exist to combat the problem.
 
"The provincial prosecutor in Ardabil is a critic of existing drug-control policies. Hojatoleslam Rabii argues that the activities of the Drug Control Headquarters and the police are not coordinated... He claims legislation is contradictory, with 'drug addiction...regarded as a crime' while 'addicts are portrayed as patients who must be cured.'...
 
"Clearly, the Iranian government recognizes the extent of the drug problem it faces. Still, it does not appear to have decided on a preferred approach. The head of Iran's Drug Control Headquarters, Fada Hussein Maleki, insisted in early August that his organization and the Expediency Council have formulated general counternarcotics policies, and that they have been referred to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for his approval, Hemayat reported on August 2.
 
"Iranian officials no doubt hope that once that happens, they might reverse the current trend of rising drug abuse."

posted by Ken Wedding @ 8:41 AM