Tehran, Iran, Oct. 22
By Milad Fashtami - Trend:
Drug overdose claims the lives of averagely 630 people in Iran each year.
The figure stood at 747 in the previous year (which ended on March 20), Iran's Mehr News Agency reported on October 22.
Official data shows that the figure was 551, 627, and 599 people, respectively, in Iranian calendar years of 1389 (ended March 20, 2011), 1390 (ended March 20, 2012), and 1391 (ended March 20, 2013).
According to Mehr, at least 284 people died of drug overdose in the first five months of current year (March 21 - August 22).
The term drug overdose (or simply overdose or OD) describes the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities greater than are recommended or generally practiced. An overdose may result in death.
Drug overdoses are sometimes caused intentionally to commit suicide or as self-harm, but many drug overdoses are accidental, the result of intentional or unintentional misuse of medication.
Intentional misuse leading to overdose can include using prescribed or unprescribed drugs in excessive quantities in an attempt to produce euphoria.
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