Abstract
The opioid addiction rate in Iran is among the highest in the world. One contributing factor is Iran’s long border with the world’s main opium producer, Afghanistan, with consequent extensive availability of opium and heroin. Following the 1979 Islamic revolution, drug policy employed in Iran was primarily based on a supply reduction rationale, with an aggressive criminal justice/incarceration response. This began to change as harm reduction programs in Iran were initiated in 2003. After an alarming increase in HIV infection among injection drug users and following a pilot study in 2002, methadone maintenance treatment became an accepted health policy and has been extensively implemented in Iran. Success of the Iranian harm reduction approach is based on attitudinal changes by policy makers, a rapid dissemination throughout the country, and implementation of programs by private sector people and NGOs. After successful implementation of methadone maintenance program in the country, buprenorphine maintenance was started since 2006. In 2011, opium tincture maintenance was initiated for those who are dependent to opium. Iran also has one of the most extensive methadone maintenance treatment programs within the prisons throughout the country. Currently, there are more than 2,500 agonist maintenance treatment units available in almost all large cities, providing treatment to more than 300,000 patients. In addition to the agonist maintenance centers and prisons, agonist therapy is available in drop-in centers and triangular clinics which are health centers run by public sector, where drug users have a free, voluntary HIV consulting and testing, free antiretroviral treatment, and needle syringe exchange program.
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Momtazi, S., Noroozi, A., Rawson, R.A. (2015). An Overview of Iran Drug Treatment and Harm Reduction Programs. In: el-Guebaly, N., Carrà, G., Galanter, M. (eds) Textbook of Addiction Treatment: International Perspectives. Springer, Milano. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-5322-9_25
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-5322-9_25
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