“2 Million and 808 Thousand Drug Addicts” Exist in Iran

An official from Iran’s Anti-Narcotics Headquarters has estimated the number of drug addicts in the country at over 2 million and 800 thousand people, stating that drug abuse among Iranians has increased over the past three decades.

Nasser Aslani, Deputy for Supply Reduction and International Affairs at the Anti-Narcotics Headquarters, stated: “Following the Islamic Revolution, from 1978 to 1987, the prevalence of drug abuse in the country decreased, but from 1987 onwards, drug consumption in the country has increased.”

He further noted that there are 2 million and 808 thousand chronic addicts and 1 million and 600 thousand recreational drug users in the country.

According to statistics from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Iran is one of the largest drug transit corridors alongside Central Asia, Pakistan, and India, and seizes massive quantities of various narcotics annually.

In August of this year, one of the directors of Iran’s Anti-Narcotics Headquarters stated that the drug trade turnover in the country is “167 trillion tomans,” equivalent to 40 percent of Iran’s annual budget.

Source: Radio Farda