There's a website I am not familiar with that carries a story about how drug abuse in Iran is aided by Iran's unfortunate proximity to Afghanistan. An expert cited in the article says:
“It’s simply due to Afghanistan,” he continued. “Opium and heroin [from Afghanistan] are exported via Iran to turkey and then to Europe. They also supply the goods to the Iranian markets, not very much smaller than the markets of Western Europe.”
So far so good -- but the article goes off the tracks by citing "an influential blogger" who theorizes that the regime in Iran is turning a blind eye to drug abuse for political reasons. Of course, not an iota of evidence is presented to back this claim up.
Funny thing, the same regime is criticized for executing drug pushers, and has been extensively applauded (even by the US and EU) for its anti-drug efforts. Every year, hundreds of Iranian policemen die in battles with the drug smugglers, as Iran single-handedly holds back a "heroin tsunami" that could sink Europe.
While Taliban were enemies of Iran and an appalling regime in Afghanistan, under their reign, according to a survey released by the United Nations Drug Control Program and other sources, puppy cultivation was reduced from 100,000 hectors in 1994 to less than 10,000 hectors in 2001. In 2000, they imposed a well-enforced ban on the cultivation of opium puppies for the next season. By October 2001, poppy cultivation in areas under Taliban control had totally disappeared while it was on the rise in areas under the control of the United Front.
Today, the ever-increasing opium production is controlled by Afghan warlords right under the American nose and one can only speculate as to who is in charge of the actual drug trade. Iran has the US to thank for its current Afghan drug problem.
Posted by: Goli | March 05, 2010 at 09:10 PM