According to a social expert, the age of addiction in Iran has dropped to 8 years, and drug use among female college students has risen considerably in recent years.
According to Mohammad Reza Mahboubfar, an expert on social ailments, “The age of addiction in our country has dropped to 8 years. Moreover, the average age at which young people start using drugs has dropped to 12 years. The number of addicts in Iran has doubled since 2011.”
Mahboubfar continued: “14% of the population is addicted to drugs. Iran’s population is 85 million, and about 12 million are addicted. Of these, 4.5 million are regular drug users.”
Addiction is the result of poverty and unemployment in Iran. A significant societal ill, drug addiction is among the leading causes of divorce and the breakdown of families (The state-run ROKNA news agency – April 29, 2020).
“Statistical representations on women’s addiction can be of great assistance in shedding light on enforced policies and in areas of negligence in this realm,” said Farzaneh Sohrabi, a lecturer on women’s addiction. She continued, “On the other hand, one of the major and most significant problems in statistical representation on addiction in Iran, especially the addiction of women, is a lack of institutional focus and statistical discrepancies in this realm” (The state-run ISNA news agency – April 25, 2020).
A reported 49% of Iranian women who use drugs and hallucinogens are under the age of 35.
On average, regular female drug users become dependent within two years, while for men, it is eight years. Thus, drug addiction has become feminized in Iran.
According to Sohrabi, “feminization of drug use in the country is alarming since it indicates an increase in the number of drug users and a decrease in the age of drug users among women. In recent years, the use of drugs such as marijuana and hashish among female students has increased” (The state-run ISNA news agency – April 25, 2020).
