Pubdate: Mon, 10 Jun 2002 Source: Tehran Times (Iran) Copyright: 2002 Tehran Times Contact: http://www.tehrantimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1903 OFFICIAL SAYS CULTURAL APPROACH BEST METHOD OF FIGHTING ILLEGAL DRUGS ABADAN, Kkuzestan Province - An Iranian official said on Saturday the cultural approach is the most effective way of dealing with the problem of the rampant illicit drug abuse in the society. According to IRNA, Governor General of Abadan Jamal Alami-Nisti said the cultural method based on the training and promotion of public awareness is better and more effective than the physical ones since it could bring about sustainable positive results. He said the drug problem could not be solved just through legal means while saying the cultural ways should be undertaken too to effectively tackle the problem. He stated that the legal and cultural means are complementary to each other while adding that there were about 3000 hectares of lands under the cultivation of opium poppy in Iran before the 1979 Islamic Revolution but the post-revolution government put a ban on the poppy cultivation later on. He said there are mafia bands which are trying to replace the natural drugs by the synthetic drugs as a way to pocket large sums of money. He called on officials to bring their help to effectively counter the illicit drug trafficking and abuse. He noted that the imprisonment of the drug addicts is not an appropriate solution to the drug problem and called on the experts to try to find effective solutions to the growing problem of the illicit drug abuse in the country. He noted that the police, could not curb the drug problem all alone while calling upon the people to actively get involved in the attempts to campaign the illicit drugs. However, he paid tribute to more than 3100 martyrs of the Iranian anti-drug units who lost their lives to protect the society against the evil phenomenon of the drug addiction. He further urged the organizations and ministries member to the DCHQ to actively take part in the efforts to curb the narcotics dilemma. He called on the officials to develop the cultural measures to curb the drug problem. Iran sits on the crossroads of the international drug trade which originates from sources in Afghanistan and Pakistan to markets in Central Asia, Europe and Persian Gulf littoral states. The fight against drug trafficking, particularly in the eastern borders, has seen thousands of police officers killed in drug-related battles throughout the country over the past two decades. There are about 1.8 million people abusing illicit drugs in Iran of whom 600,000 abuse narcotic drugs occasionally. Most of the drug addicts consume opium but the consumption of heroin, in particular by injection, is on the rise. The increasing abuse of illicit drugs have created complicated problems in particular the overcrowding of the prisons. Abusing illicit drugs through injection was a major factor responsible for the AIDS infection in Iran. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens