DRUG ADDICTION IN IRAN: THE SUCCESS OF TWELVE-STEP

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000245 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/IR E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/25/2020 TAGS: IR PGOV PHUM SNAR PREL TX SUBJECT: DRUG ADDICTION IN IRAN: THE SUCCESS OF TWELVE-STEP PROGRAMS Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Sylvia Reed Curran. Reasons 1.4(b) an d (d). ¶1. (C) An Iranian specialist in the treatment of drug addiction spoke to Iran Watcher this week about medical and legal approaches to the problem in Iran. xxxxxxxxxxxx (please protect),xxxxxxxxxxxx contrasted Turkmenstan's punitie and abstinence-based, rather than treatment-oriented, stance towards drug abusers with that of Iran. There, he said, criminal laws governing drug use have evolved significantly in the xxxxxxxxxxxx years he has been working in the field of addiction. In the 1980s, Iran's penal code imposed harsh sentences on narcotics users, but began to change in the 90s. This was due in part, he said, to the input of experts like himself who emphasized the effectiveness of treatment over retributive justice. These days, drug users in Iran who are actively seeking treatment are not subject to criminal penalties. Narcotics anonymous: 50,000 members ¶2. (C) xxxxxxxxxxxx said that about 20 years ago, three young Iranians, recovering drug abusers, returned from long residences in the U.S. and started a branch of Narcotics Anonymous. Since then, it has grown to an organization of 50,000 members with branches that hold regular meetings throughout the country. He added that drug use in Iran is a long-standing problem, dating back several hundred years, and that it knows no particular socio-economic boundaries. He cited depression as the most common reason that Iranians abuse mood altering substances. Despite a significant drug abuse problem in the country, Iranians actually use (though do not necessarily abuse) alcohol much more than they do drugs. In his view, there is a portion of these suffers from depression that does not respond successfully to therapy and will always seek mood altering substances. They account for the 150,000 Iranians who receive regular, government-sanctioned doses of methadone. The success of twelve-step programs ¶3. (C) According to xxxxxxxxxxxx twelve-step programs have been highly successful in treating drug dependent Iranians, in sharp contrast to other Muslim countries, such as Egypt and others in the Middle East. He attributes this to the comfort that Iranians feel culturally with the tenets of the program, particularly the concept of "evil." Whereas in Islam, evil is considered to be "a creation of God that must be eradicated," he said that Zoroastrianism, the ancient religion of Iran, in contrast, acknowledges evil as a normal component of human nature that can be acknowledged and overcome. Recent problems... ¶4. (C) xxxxxxxxxxxx noted that the ambassador to the UN was later also relieved of his position and is back in Iran, with no promise of another government job. He frequently sees him strolling through a local mall in Tehran. xxxxxxxxxxxx, says he gets "a lot of support" from xxxxxxxxxxxx. "If it weren't for Ashgabat 00000245 002 of 002 him," he said, "I would probably have lost my job long ago." ¶5. (C) COMMENT: Our interlocutor has devoted his career to learning about and treating drug addiction. xxxxxxxxxxxx He said that, despite the recent setbacks and problems he has encountered, there is nothing else he would rather be doing. "The key," he said, "is learning to treat those who are drug dependent with compassion and humanity." END COMMENT curran