According to statistics from the Anti-Narcotics Headquarters, there are approximately 4.4 million regular and occasional drug users in Iran.

As officials and experts believe, today, the most important challenge in the field of drugs in our country is the legal weaknesses in the areas of fighting, combating, prevention, and even treatment and rehabilitation. These weaknesses, in some cases, practically render any initiative or action to combat this devastating plague ineffective. However, the issue is not only the lack of appropriate laws, but also mismanagement and the lack of priority for this sector of society in the eyes of the governing system, which according to statistics, make up a considerable portion of the population.

The extent and population of this section of society sound the alarm that responsible authorities must focus strongly on the issue of addiction and its treatment methods, but the incidents that occur in camps show that the situation is not as it seems. For years, news of torture of addicted individuals in camps, mismanagement, dilapidated buildings, unemployed and underpaid staff, the increase of unauthorized camps, and dozens of other issues have been highlighted in the media. The latest example is the death of 36 people in the “First Step to Freedom” addiction treatment camp in Langroud. On the evening of November 11, 1402 (5:30 am), a fire broke out in this camp and what caused the high number of casualties was the confinement of residents in the building. They were unable to escape and all burned alive. It is said that the fire was fully contained at 9:30 am, meaning that the residents burned for four hours. Interestingly, the nominal capacity of this camp was

After this incident, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the head of the judiciary, emphasized only on strengthening supervision in the meeting of the Supreme Council of the Judiciary and said: “The relevant agencies and departments, including the Anti-Drug Headquarters, must carry out necessary reviews in monitoring addiction treatment and rehabilitation centers.” Following that, other opinions were expressed, but this incident, along with other related events regarding social harms, was forgotten.

Mismanagement of drug addiction camps had previously been reported. On September 17, 2015, a fire broke out in the Shafaq camp in southern Tehran – located near Aradkooh and the city’s landfill – causing at least 200 addicted individuals to flee. These individuals were among those who had been detained in the camp as part of the police’s crackdown on street drug use and were forced to quit their addiction. However, the story of this camp did not end there, as on April 9, 2016, reports of harassment and abuse of addicted women in the camp surfaced. Parviz Afshar, the deputy of demand reduction and development of public participation at the headquarters for the fight against drugs, denied these claims and stated, “Since the establishment of the Shafaq camp, only five addicted women have died, three of whom died in the camp and two in the hospital, and the cause of their deaths is still under investigation.”

“Previously, the Shahr-e-Now newspaper had written in the month of Ordibehesht 1393 (April/May 2014): “More than 40 addicts lost their lives in Shafaq over the course of two years.”

Years ago, former national wrestler Mohsen Ghasemi, who was also a gold medalist in Asia, was beaten by the staff of a drug rehabilitation camp in Boroujerd in such a way that he fell into a coma and passed away at the age of 31 due to injuries in 26 areas. The addiction treatment center where he was hospitalized was one of the centers that did not have an official license.

Earlier, Asghar Jahangir, the Deputy for Social and Crime Prevention of the Judiciary, had told IRNA in an interview that there are 7,500 active addiction treatment centers in Iran, with 2,500 of them located in Tehran.

Among these, the addiction treatment centers have been established under Article 15 of the Law on Combating Narcotics, which are recognized as voluntary centers and operate under the supervision of the Welfare Organization of the country. In addition, the compulsory addiction treatment centers, which are established under Article 16 of this law, are under the supervision of the Ministry of Health, Treatment, and Medical Education. These centers, especially after 2019 and with the approval of the new regulations for obtaining licenses, have become the subject of much discussion regarding the process of issuing licenses by law enforcement and military institutions.

It should be noted that due to differences over the issuance of licenses for compulsory addiction treatment centers and the opposition of the Welfare Organization, the involvement of security and law enforcement agencies in issuing licenses for these types of centers has become significant. In such a way that Ali Fadavi, the deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guards, had announced the launch of ten addiction treatment centers under the name of “Karamat Camps” by the Revolutionary Guards in 1400. This is while Farhad Eghtar, the deputy for prevention and treatment of addiction at the Welfare Organization, recently stated: “All budgets are directed towards the established centers based on Article 16 of the Anti-Drug Law – meaning compulsory centers – while only 5% of addicts have been successfully treated through this method.”

Despite the fact that the Anti-Drug Headquarters, as the responsible party for combating this issue, emphasizes on aggressive and strict methods, researchers and experts believe that forced addiction treatment, which includes the arrest and transfer of drug users to small-scale rehabilitation camps, has not yielded significant results. However, the majority of expenses are allocated to this sector.

Between 91 and 94, three guidelines were issued by the Welfare Organization for the management of addiction treatment camps. The first one is the “Guidelines for the Establishment of Management and Supervision of Government, Non-Governmental, Private or Non-Governmental Organizations for the Treatment and Reduction of Addicts”, which includes regulations for the operation of various addiction treatment centers and camps. The second one is known as the “Special Protocol for Improvement and Rehabilitation of Substance Use Disorders” and covers all the details in seven chapters, including how to admit, retain, improve, rehabilitate, discharge, and follow-up after discharge. Another guideline was also issued, titled “Establishment of Management and Supervision of Residential Improvement and Rehabilitation Centers for Individuals with Substance Use Disorders”. This guideline states that for each resident, a minimum of 8 square meters of covered physical space is required, 3 square meters for detoxification, and 2 square meters for dormitories, in addition to independent space for family

On the other hand, financial weakness of addiction treatment centers is another problem that hinders the treatment of addiction. If they are financially strengthened, there is a possibility of providing better quality services and follow-up after discharge, resulting in a 30-35% improvement rate. It is said that many of these camps – especially camps for substance abuse under Article 15 of the Anti-Drug Law – have been closed due to financial problems. On the other hand, although statistics on unauthorized centers are not available, evidence shows an increase in the number of unauthorized camps, and the main reason for this can be attributed to the lack of obligation for these centers to comply with various insurance policies, protocols, and legal requirements.

It seems necessary to review the monitoring methods of addiction treatment centers and articles 15 and 16 of the Anti-Drug Law, on which these centers are based. This is a matter that relevant agencies and departments, including the Anti-Drug Headquarters, the Ministry of Interior, and the Welfare Organization of the country, should address in order to intensify and target the supervision of addiction treatment and rehabilitation centers, as well as identifying and addressing potential harms that may arise from these centers, which are mostly private.

According to statistics, there are about 5 million drug users in the country, which with their families can be estimated to be about 15 million people, who are struggling with the concerns of quitting, rehabilitation, and returning to society every day. These statistics highlight the importance of camps and their management. However, what we are facing is the failure and mismanagement of addiction treatment camps, alongside all other inefficiencies.

In fact, in the system of the Islamic Republic, the government prioritizes other priorities, which leads to the expansion of social problems. In other words, instead of taking steps to solve these problems, the system prefers to use its capital and focus to promote its ideologies in society.