Drug use treatment and harm reduction programs in Iran: A unique model of health in the most populated Persian Gulf country

doi:10.1016/j.ajp.2015.06.002

Asian Journal of Psychiatry

Volume 16, August 2015, Pages 78-83

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2015.06.002 Get rights and content

Highlights

•
The advanced drug use treatment system in Iran.
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The advanced drug harm reduction system in Iran.
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The necessity of establishing a regional anti-drug campaign to control opium production in Afghanistan to manage drug use problem in Iran.
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The necessity of evaluating the outcomes of drug treatment and harm reductions programs in Iran.

Abstract

Because of the proximity of Persian Iran to Afghanistan, the main opium producer in the world, drug use especially opium use has a long history in Iran. Opium and its residues are the traditional drugs while heroin, heroin Kerack, norgesic, temgesic, and methamphetamine use and injection have emerged more recently. In recent decades, heroin smoking and injection have presented challenges to the Persian health policy makers to accept and develop the internationally-approved programs of drug use treatment and harm reduction. The current paper summarizes the overall picture of main drugs used and the history of establishing the nationwide movement of drug use treatment and harm reduction programs after the 1979 revolution until the end of 2014. The paper concludes that Persian Iran has a well-developed healthcare system in the provision of drug use treatment and harm reduction programs in the south-west of Asia especially the Persian Gulf region. These therapeutic and harm reduction-related programs are required to be strengthened by opium supply reduction and eradicating drug production in Afghanistan. The provision of prevention programs, drug education via mass-media, employment and inexpensive leisure activities are required in Iran. In addition, conducting household surveys of the prevalence of drug use and evaluating the clinical effectiveness and treatment outcomes of the provided drug treatment and harm reduction programs are required. National and regional collaborations are rigorously suggested to manage supply reduction along the borders and implement demand reduction inside the borders.

Introduction

Iran also called Persia is a vast Persian-speaking country with Indo-European roots and Aryan race in the south-west of Asia. It is situated between the Caspian Sea in the north and the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman in the south. The population of Iran is approximately 78 million.

Iran is the most populated Persian Gulf country with the longest borders. The country has also long borders with Iraq, Turkey, some Central Asian countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Section snippets

Drug use problem

Drug use is a serious health concern in Persian Iran. Iran borders Afghanistan, a major producer of opium globally. It is across this border that opium and heroin are massively smuggled to Iran. In addition, opium and heroin production in Afghanistan has resulted in the indirect role of Iran as a drug transit country to Europe and other parts of the world (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2013a).

There is a paucity of household surveys of the prevalence of drug use in Iran. The total

Compulsory drug treatment

After the 1979 revolution, methadone treatment centers were shut down and replaced by compulsory residential rehabilitation centers. According to a report, this trend continued through the 1980s and 1990s and drug use was a criminal activity (Nassirimanesh et al., 2005). In the 1990s, the Persian healthcare system accepted that to consider opiate use as a criminal activity was not effective because of common opium use and heroin injection. To encounter drug use problem, a drug treatment and

Conclusion

As the most populated Persian Gulf country in the south-west of Asia, drug use is a health concern in Iran (Alam mehrjerdi et al., 2014). Although, opium is the traditional drug but heroin, heroin Kerack, norgesic, temgesic, and methamphetamine are recent drugs. Using opium and then its derivatives such as heroin in contemporary Iran emphasizes the role of Afghanistan as the main illicit opium producer in the eastern borders (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2013b). Drug use is also

Funding

None.

Contributors

All authors contributed to collecting data, writing, reading and approving the final version of this paper.

Conflict of interest

There is no conflict of interest.

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View all citing articles on Scopus

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ReviewDrug use treatment and harm reduction programs in Iran: A unique model of health in the most populated Persian Gulf country

Highlights

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Drug use problem

Compulsory drug treatment

Conclusion

Funding

Contributors

Conflict of interest

J. Subst. Treat.

Int. J. Drug Policy

Int. J. Drug Policy

The Lancet

From punishment to harm reduction: rescularization of addiction in contemporary Iran

Street-level heroin seizures in Iran: a survey of components

J. Subst. Use

Opioid use treatment and harm reduction services: the first report from the Persia Gulf region

J. Subst. Use

Crystal in Iran: methamphetamine or heroin Kerack

Daru

Methamphetamine use among Iranian heroin Kerack-dependent women: implications for treatment

Int. J. High Risk Behav. Addict.

Maintenance therapy with opium tincture for injecting drug users

Hepat. Mon.

Comparing the effects of methadone maintenance treatment, therapeutic community, and residential rehabilitation on quality of life and mental health of drug addicts

Addict. Health

Opium syrup distribution: limitation and challenges

Zahedan J. Res. Med. Sci.

Six-month follow-up of Iranian women in methadone treatment: drug use, social functioning, crime, and HIV and HCV seroincidence

J. Subst. Abuse Rehabil.

The establishment of a methadone treatment clinic for women in Tehran, Iran

J. Public Health Policy

Preventing HIV transmission among Iranian prisoners: initial support for providing education on the benefits of harm reduction practices

Harm Reduct. J.

What is the National Addiction Telephone Line

AIDS Progress Report

Socio-cultural factors associated with the initiation of opium use in Darab, Iran

Int. J. Mental Health Addict.

Trends of substance use in southern Iran: a qualitative study

Int. J. Epidemiol.

Comparison of the efficacy of methadone maintenance therapy vs. narcotics anonymous in the treatment of opioid addiction: a 2-year survey

Int. J. Pharmacol.

Key findings from the WHO collaborative study on substitution therapy for opioid dependence and HIV/AIDS

Addiction

Crucial Transitions among Young Opioid Users in Iran

Protocol of Treatment with Opium Tincture: Adopted from Earlier Research Findings of Opium Tincture in Iran and Evaluation of its Longitudinal Treatment Outcomes

Review
Drug use treatment and harm reduction programs in Iran: A unique model of health in the most populated Persian Gulf country