Baku, Azerbaijan, May 10
By Fatih Karimov - Trend:
The illegal drug trafficking in Iran stands at $3 billion annually, says Alireza Jazini, deputy secretary-general of the Iranian Anti-Drug Campaign Headquarters.
He said that globally the figure is more than $600 billion, Fars news agency reported May 10.
Jazini said that more than 790,000 drug addicted people are under treatment in Iran at the moment.
Each year, 30 tons of medicines are consumed in the country for treatment of drug addiction, he said, adding that the addiction kills 3,000 people in Iran annually.
He further said that Iran's security forces destroyed 220 crystal methamphetamine labs the last fiscal year (ended March 20).
About two tons of the crystal methamphetamine was seized during the period, Jazini added.
Over the last few years, there has been a sudden and massive increase in the reported seizures of high purity crystalline methamphetamine in Iran.
Jazini said almost 70 tons of various drugs have been seized in the country since March 20.
The fight against drugs annually costs Iran about $1 billion, according to the official estimates.
The statistics also say there are about two million drug users in Iran.
Last year, Rouzbeh Kardouni, the head of Social Vulnerabilities Office at the Iranian Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare, said that annually about 450 tons of opium is used in Iran, which is equal to 42 percent of total opium consumption in the world.