GROWING NUMBERS OF BASRAH YOUTHS TURN TO DRUGS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BASRAH 000122

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 7/22/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL PBTS PINS SOCI SNAR IZ
SUBJECT: GROWING NUMBERS OF BASRAH YOUTHS TURN TO DRUGS

BASRAH 00000122 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: Mark Marrano, Deputy Regional Coordinator, REO
Basrah, DOS.
REASON: 1.4 (b)

. (C) Summary: The head of drug addiction treatment at Basrah
General Hospital, Dr. Akeil Al Sabagh, estimated that five
percent of Basrah's male population between 18 and 30 are drug
abusers, with female users at less than one percent. In a
meeting with polff on July 17, the doctor said the most widely
used drugs are pharmaceuticals that have legitimate medical uses
but are widely taken for their euphoric and calming effects,
such as Valium. Large quantities of hashish and khat enter Iraq
from Iran for transshipment to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia; use of
these drugs is not widespread in Basrah. U.S. police and
customs agents who conduct Iraqi police training say Iraqi
police and customs agents are not able to control drugs entering
the country or stop domestic drug abuse. With rampant violence,
oil smuggling, and weapons trafficking, the issue of drug
trafficking in Basrah is of low priority. End summary.

Drug Abuse in Basrah Largely Limited to Pharmaceuticals
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2. (C) Dr. Al Sabagh said the most commonly abused drugs are
clonazepam (known commercially as Rivotril),benzhexol (Artane),
diazepam (Valium),and nitrazepam (Mogodon). The first two are
prescribed to treat seizures of people suffering from epilepsy
and Parkinson's disease but are consumed illegally for their
mood enhancing effects. Diazepam and nitrazepam are used to
reduce anxiety. Dr. Al Sabagh said he personally has treated
about 1,000 patients for drug addiction. He declared that the
numbers of drug abusers he has treated personally and observed
at large have risen markedly in the past three years.


3. (C) Dr. Al Sabagh commented that young men are turning to
drugs to cope with poverty, unemployment and violence. Known
collectively as "wardi," he said the pills are easily obtained
at pharmacies, shops, cafes, the Umm Al Broom Park in downtown
Basrah, and at refreshment kiosks on the highway connecting
Basrah with Maysan Province to the north. The doctor reported
that the drugs are manufactured inside Iraq and are imported
from Iran, Pakistan, Lebanon, and other places. He added that
substantial numbers of young men also inhale the fumes of paint
thinner, gasoline and glue to alter their mental states.
Alcohol abuse in Basrah is far less prevalent because it is
proscribed under Islam, and Islamic political parties in
southern Iraq have been largely successful in influencing the
local population against alcohol. He noted that treatment for
abuse of pharmaceuticals, paint thinner, gasoline and glue is
easier than for opiates because the degree of addiction is
lower. He said that he is aware that hashish and opium-based
drugs are being smuggled into Iraq but he has not seen
widespread use of those substances in Basrah.


4. (C) Dr. Al Sabagh said that as a member of a committee that
includes police, educators, medical experts and social leaders
formed to combat drug abuse, he advocates for public education
to reduce drug abuse in Basrah. Effective law enforcement, he
said, is largely ineffective. He gives lectures to students
about the medical dangers of drug abuse; prominent clerics have
issued fatwas, or decrees, condemning the illegal consumption of
drugs; the walls of schools, hospitals and public places have
been hung with warning posters.

Transshipment of Drugs from Iran
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5. (C) A police officer who is a former head of drug
investigations of the Serious Crimes Unit, Captain Hayder
Mihssen Jabar, told poloff on July 19 that large quantities of
hashish and khat, known for its hallucinogenic properties, are
entering Basrah from Iran, possibly with the backing of Iranian
government officials. He stated that the end users of those
drugs are in Kuwait. A Basrah businessman said that Saudi
Arabia also is the destination for a large portion of the
hashish and khat being transported across Iraq.


6. (C) U.S. police and customs officers involved in training
Iraqi agents say that drug control efforts have a low priority,
given the deadly insurgency and rampant smuggling of fuel
products. They note that Iraq's borders are uncontrolled and
fishing boats on the Shatt Al Arab river separating Iraq and
Iran make nightly crossings without inspections.


7. (C) Comment. Dr. Al Sabagh's information pertaining to
Basrah is consistent with U.N. findings about drug abuse
throughout the country. In the past two years, the United
Nations has allocated $3.2 million for the purpose of combating
substance abuse, and international conferences with panels about
drug abuse in Iraq have taken place in Cairo and Istanbul in the

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past year. The doctor said that prospects for improvement in
the near term are not bright considering the fact that only two
psychiatrists are still practicing in Basrah after two others
have fled to escape the lethal violence that has gripped the
city. Although drug abuse is not Basrah's most pressing
concern, the upward trend in drug use among young men in Basrah
-- the same demographic population targeted for recruitment by
militias -- is cause for concern. We will continue to monitor
drug abuse in Basrah. End comment.
MARRANO