Life on Drugs in Iran: Between Prison and Rehab

Iran began a war on drugs in 1979 and had some of the world's harshest drug penalties. In 1990, they shifted their policies to introduce treatment regimens that focus on rehabilitation. Anaraki's study explores the lived experience of those who use and have used illicit substances and the challenges they face due to the states' shifting policies, humanizing people with substance abuse issues in Iran.

Format: Hardback
Length: 184 pages
Publication date: 30 October 2022
Publisher: Syracuse University Press

Iran established a reputation as having some of the world's harshest drug penalties and as an opponent of efforts to reform global drug policy when they initiated a war on drugs in 1979. As mass incarceration failed to stem the growth of drug use, Iran shifted its policies in 1990 to introduce treatment regimens that focus on rehabilitation. While most Muslim countries and some Western states still do not espouse welfare-oriented measures, Iran has established several harm-reduction centers nationwide through the welfare system for those who use substances. In doing so, Iran moved from labeling drug users as criminals to patients.

In Life on Drugs in Iran, Anaraki moves beyond these labels to explore the lived experience of those who use and have used illicit substances and the challenges they face as a result of the states shifting policies. Gaining remarkable access to a community that has largely been ignored by researchers, Anaraki chronicles the lives of current and former substance users in prisons, treatment centers, and NGOs. In each setting, individuals are criminalized, medicalized, and marginalized as the system attempts to normalize them without addressing the root cause of the problem. Drawing upon first-hand accounts, Anaraki's groundbreaking study takes an essential step in humanizing people with substance abuse issues in Iran.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780815637738