VZCZCXRO6638
PP RUEHBC RUEHKUK RUEHMOS
DE RUEHDE #0528/01 0370740
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P R 060740Z FEB 06
FM AMCONSUL DUBAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8121
INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI 1022
RUEABND/DEA
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 DUBAI 000528 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  2/6/2016 
TAGS: PGOV SNAR SOCI IR
SUBJECT: FIGHTING DRUG ADDICTION AND HIV/AIDS IN IRAN 
 
REF: 05 DUBAI 5089 
 
DUBAI 00000528  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Jason L Davis, Acting Consul General, Dubai, UAE. 
 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 
 
 
 
1.(S) Summary: An senior psychiatrist at the Iranian National 
Center for Addiction Studies gave PolEconChief January 24 an 
overview of Iranian tactics for fighting drug addition in Iran. 
The spread of HIV/AIDS has spurred the government to take a more 
proactive stance in combating drug addiction.  Because 
intravenous drug use is the primary cause of the spread of HIV 
in Iran, the focus has been on combating drug addiction. 
However, sexual transmission is also being addressed.  End 
Summary 
 
Drug Addiction and HIV/AIDS 
--------------------------- 
 
2.(S) Dr. Mohsen Vazirian (please project), a senior researcher 
and psychiatrist at the Iranian National Center for Addiction 
Studies and Tehran University of Medical Sciences, specializes 
in projects on drug addiction and HIV/AIDS. Vazirian told 
PolEconChief January 24 that he has been working in the field of 
drug addiction and HIV/AIDS for four years, a period during 
which the government began to focus on the health aspects of 
drug abuse. He said it was the threat of the spread of HIV/AIDS 
that spurred the government to try to tackle drug addiction. 
Intravenous drug use is the primary vehicle for transmission of 
HIV in Iran. 
 
3.(S) The Iranian Ministry of Health issues statistics of 
HIV/AIDS quarterly.  There are currently 12,000 registered HIV 
cases, but experts estimate at least 50-60,000 actual cases. 
Vazirian indicated that the number could be much higher, based 
on the findings of a journal article he co-authored, "Prevalence 
of and factors associated with HIV-1 infection among drug users 
visiting treatment centers in Tehran, Iran," published in 2005 
in AIDS magazine. 
 
4.(S) In his study of 611 drug users, 15% of injecting drug 
users (IDUs) tested HIV positive, and 5% of non-IDU drug users 
were HIV positive. There are an estimated 200,000-300,000 IDUs 
in Iran. Officially, the government estimates 2 million non-IDUs 
but the "unofficial" estimate is 5 million. Stressing this was 
an "unscientific" assessment, he said that extrapolating the 
HIV/AIDs rate of the 611 subjects tested to the wider drug 
population, would suggest there could be hundreds of thousands 
of HIV positive cases. He noted, however, that the study's 
sample may not be representative. 
 
A Drug Culture 
-------------- 
 
5.(S) In Vazirian's view, the tradition of opium use in Iranian 
culture is a contributor to the drug problem today, with many 
users switching from smoking opium to shooting heroin. In years 
past, a new bride might bring with her a block of opium to her 
new husband's home. Another important factor is proximity to 
Afghanistan, the world's largest producer of opium. 
 
6.(S) According to Vazirian, some substances sold in Iran as 
cocaine are actually a mixture of heroin and cocaine, as doctors 
learned when addicts trying to kick a cocaine addiction suffered 
from heroin withdrawals. "Crystal" is used in Iran to refer to 
pure heroin. Synthetic drugs have gained in popularity, and are 
produced both inside and outside Iran.  Four years ago, ecstasy 
was the rage; two years ago, "glass" or "shisha," a 
methamphetine, hit the streets.  The cost of heroin is 
relatively cheap - only 1000 tomans ($1.10) a dose. A dose of 
ecstasy, on the other hand, runs 2-3000 tomans ($2.20-3.30), 
while  "glass" is 5-6000 tomans ($5.50-6.60). Cocaine is the 
most expensive drug - one dose costs 100,000 tomans ($110). 
 
Fighting Addiction 
------------------ 
 
7.(S) In addition to methadone, doctors in Iran use 
buprenorphine as a treatment for addicts.  In most cases, the 
addicts pay a low fee for methadone or buprenorphine, but there 
are also free projects for those who cannot pay. Vazirian said 
there are approximately 2000 participants currently in drug 
substitution programs in Iran, in addition to another 2000 
prison inmates on such programs. Vazirian claimed a 70% success 
rate in Iranian drug substitution programs. 
 
8.(S) The study cited above noted a strong correlation in Iran 
between intravenous drug use in prison and HIV positive status. 
Vazirian said there are a lot of drugs in prisons, but few 
needles, and that 100-1000 inmates may share a single needle. 
 
DUBAI 00000528  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
Roughly half of all prisoners in Iran were arrested for 
drug-related crimes, including 400,000 arrests in 2005. 
 
9.(S) Vazirian said he has not seen a change in drug policy 
since Ahmadinejad came into office, but he suspects that 
eventually there will be a shift towards greater emphasis on 
supply interdiction. 
 
Combating Sexual Transmission of AIDS 
-------------------------------------- 
 
10.(S) Vazirian reported that the Iranian government is not 
ignoring sexual transmission of AIDS, and that there are some 
"safe sex" awareness campaigns. He says it is estimated that in 
some poor areas 50% of prostitutes are IDUs, linking the two 
problems. He said there is a separate center at Tehran 
University for HIV/AIDS that focuses on prostitutes. This center 
has a relationship with University of California San Francisco. 
 
11.(S) Condoms are available in pharmacies in Iran, but are not 
sold over-the-counter, a fact that Vazirian said may dissuade 
some, particularly younger people, from buying them.  On the 
other hand, he said, condoms have been available for free for 
more than 20 years at government health centers, as part of 
efforts at population control. Per government order, health 
centers are to give them out to anyone who asks for them. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BURNS 
DAVIS