FIGHTING DRUG ADDICTION AND HIV/AIDS IN IRAN

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 DUBAI 000528

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/6/2016
TAGS: PGOV SNAR SOCI IR
SUBJECT: FIGHTING DRUG ADDICTION AND HIV/AIDS IN IRAN

REF: 05 DUBAI 5089

DUBAI 00000528 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: Jason L Davis, Acting Consul General, Dubai, UAE.

REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)



1.(S) Summary: An senior psychiatrist at the Iranian National
Center for Addiction Studies gave PolEconChief January 24 an
overview of Iranian tactics for fighting drug addition in Iran.
The spread of HIV/AIDS has spurred the government to take a more
proactive stance in combating drug addiction. Because
intravenous drug use is the primary cause of the spread of HIV
in Iran, the focus has been on combating drug addiction.
However, sexual transmission is also being addressed. End
Summary

Drug Addiction and HIV/AIDS
--------------

2.(S) Dr. Mohsen Vazirian (please project),a senior researcher
and psychiatrist at the Iranian National Center for Addiction
Studies and Tehran University of Medical Sciences, specializes
in projects on drug addiction and HIV/AIDS. Vazirian told
PolEconChief January 24 that he has been working in the field of
drug addiction and HIV/AIDS for four years, a period during
which the government began to focus on the health aspects of
drug abuse. He said it was the threat of the spread of HIV/AIDS
that spurred the government to try to tackle drug addiction.
Intravenous drug use is the primary vehicle for transmission of
HIV in Iran.

3.(S) The Iranian Ministry of Health issues statistics of
HIV/AIDS quarterly. There are currently 12,000 registered HIV
cases, but experts estimate at least 50-60,000 actual cases.
Vazirian indicated that the number could be much higher, based
on the findings of a journal article he co-authored, "Prevalence
of and factors associated with HIV-1 infection among drug users
visiting treatment centers in Tehran, Iran," published in 2005
in AIDS magazine.

4.(S) In his study of 611 drug users, 15% of injecting drug
users (IDUs) tested HIV positive, and 5% of non-IDU drug users
were HIV positive. There are an estimated 200,000-300,000 IDUs
in Iran. Officially, the government estimates 2 million non-IDUs
but the "unofficial" estimate is 5 million. Stressing this was
an "unscientific" assessment, he said that extrapolating the
HIV/AIDs rate of the 611 subjects tested to the wider drug
population, would suggest there could be hundreds of thousands
of HIV positive cases. He noted, however, that the study's
sample may not be representative.

A Drug Culture
--------------

5.(S) In Vazirian's view, the tradition of opium use in Iranian
culture is a contributor to the drug problem today, with many
users switching from smoking opium to shooting heroin. In years
past, a new bride might bring with her a block of opium to her
new husband's home. Another important factor is proximity to
Afghanistan, the world's largest producer of opium.

6.(S) According to Vazirian, some substances sold in Iran as
cocaine are actually a mixture of heroin and cocaine, as doctors
learned when addicts trying to kick a cocaine addiction suffered
from heroin withdrawals. "Crystal" is used in Iran to refer to
pure heroin. Synthetic drugs have gained in popularity, and are
produced both inside and outside Iran. Four years ago, ecstasy
was the rage; two years ago, "glass" or "shisha," a
methamphetine, hit the streets. The cost of heroin is
relatively cheap - only 1000 tomans ($1.10) a dose. A dose of
ecstasy, on the other hand, runs 2-3000 tomans ($2.20-3.30),
while "glass" is 5-6000 tomans ($5.50-6.60). Cocaine is the
most expensive drug - one dose costs 100,000 tomans ($110).

Fighting Addiction
--------------

7.(S) In addition to methadone, doctors in Iran use
buprenorphine as a treatment for addicts. In most cases, the
addicts pay a low fee for methadone or buprenorphine, but there
are also free projects for those who cannot pay. Vazirian said
there are approximately 2000 participants currently in drug
substitution programs in Iran, in addition to another 2000
prison inmates on such programs. Vazirian claimed a 70% success
rate in Iranian drug substitution programs.

8.(S) The study cited above noted a strong correlation in Iran
between intravenous drug use in prison and HIV positive status.
Vazirian said there are a lot of drugs in prisons, but few
needles, and that 100-1000 inmates may share a single needle.

DUBAI 00000528 002.2 OF 002


Roughly half of all prisoners in Iran were arrested for
drug-related crimes, including 400,000 arrests in 2005.

9.(S) Vazirian said he has not seen a change in drug policy
since Ahmadinejad came into office, but he suspects that
eventually there will be a shift towards greater emphasis on
supply interdiction.

Combating Sexual Transmission of AIDS
--------------

10.(S) Vazirian reported that the Iranian government is not
ignoring sexual transmission of AIDS, and that there are some
"safe sex" awareness campaigns. He says it is estimated that in
some poor areas 50% of prostitutes are IDUs, linking the two
problems. He said there is a separate center at Tehran
University for HIV/AIDS that focuses on prostitutes. This center
has a relationship with University of California San Francisco.

11.(S) Condoms are available in pharmacies in Iran, but are not
sold over-the-counter, a fact that Vazirian said may dissuade
some, particularly younger people, from buying them. On the
other hand, he said, condoms have been available for free for
more than 20 years at government health centers, as part of
efforts at population control. Per government order, health
centers are to give them out to anyone who asks for them.









BURNS
DAVIS