Iranian Parliament. Topic A: Iranian Drug Crisis

Transcription

1 Iranian Parliament Topic A: Iranian Drug Crisis Chair: Andrew Abtahi Moderator: Siddarth Daftary Vice Chairs: Nida Bajwa, and Dan Toubman Crisis Staffers: Thomas Key, and Coretta Lemaitre April 10 13, 2014 Abtahi 1

2 Iranian Drug Crisis The prevalence of illegal drugs and their distribution via the worldwide black market is one of the greatest challenges that the Islamic Republic of Iran, and in fact the world, faces. Opium, is an especially dangerous and addictive substance that has been demonstrated time and time again throughout history to lead to crime, degenerate activity, and in extreme cases, civilization collapse, which occurred during the great Opium wars of the 19th century. Most of the world s Opium is grown in two locations, known as the Golden Crescent and the Golden Triangle. The Golden Triangle consists of a collection of Southeast Asian countries of Laos, Thailand, Burma, and Vietnam while the Golden Crescent runs through Pakistan and Afghanistan. The route from both of these areas to Europe and the West runs through Iran, but the Golden Crescent is especially dependent upon smuggling through Iran. Recently, the trend in the balance of Opium production has shifted from the Golden Triangle to the Golden Crescent, Abtahi 2

3 so Iran s role in Opium trafficking has become increasingly critical. Contemporaneously with the rise of the drug trade, Iran s opium use rate has reached catastrophic levels. Iran has the second highest rate of Opium use in the world at 2.2%, and in a strict theocracy which bans the use of all drugs, these problems are exacerbated. 1 in 45 Iranians uses opium regularly while the government refuses to acknowledge and deal with this problem. These two issues are logically linked, given that Afghanistan, another nation involved in the Opium trade, has the highest use of Opium in the world. If smuggling of Opium can be controlled, then so too can use of the drug be reduced to a reasonable rate. Abtahi 3

4 Background and Current Situation The illegal drug trade in Iran stems, for the most part, from its proximity to major drugproducers, Afghanistan and Pakistan. In Afghanistan, opium production began during the Soviet period, specifically, To fight the Soviet invasion, resistance groups formed and to generate money, they turned to opium production. After the Soviet Union lost footing in Afghanistan, a power vacuum allowed the Taliban to take control of the country and diminished the presence of poppy fields. The US invasion of Afghanistan after 2001 led to more instability in the country and the Taliban s grip on the country loosened. Millions fled the country as refugees, and a million others lost their lives within the nation. In response to the collapse of the economy and lack of other resources available, poppy cultivation was initiated and opium production blossomed more than in the past. In early 2006, the Taliban controlled areas redoubled its efforts and cultivation levels increased yet again to boost revenues. The UNODC estimated that in 2006, 52% of the nation s GDP came from the drug trade. Today, Afghanistan is the world s largest producer of illicit cannabis and opium. One traditional route in distribution of opium begins in Afghanistan s Helmand province, goes through Pakistan, and then to Iran. Here it is both used internally and Abtahi 4

5 trafficked further, to Europe, etc. Smuggling also occurs through the city of Herat, which borders Iran, involving the nation in this illicit process. The UNODC estimates that 60% of Afghanistan s opium is trafficked through Iran. Herat, Farrah, and Nimroz, the Iraninan border areas in Afghanistan, have incredibly high prices for opium, due to the high demand from Iranians. Opium leaves Iran often does so through Caucasus, Azerbaijan, and ultimately ends in Europe and the Western World. While Afghan opium production grew, Iranian drug usage blossomed in parallel. Poverty and unemployment are rampant in Iran, with unemployment somewhere between 11 and 25 percent and one in four Iranians lives in poverty. Additionally, 70% of Iran s population is under 30. Thus, much of the Iranian population is composed of young, restless, and resentful individuals. This young, poverty-stricken population is prone to turning towards drugs, and with the increased presence of opium in their country, it was all but inevitable. According to a government poll reported by the Washington Post, approximately 80% of Iranians believe there s a direct link between unemployment and drug addiction. In recent years, the economy of Iran has been faltering further, Abtahi 5

6 in part due to the economic sanctions enacted by the U.S, EU, and the UN; where the decline of the economy only serves to strengthen the illicit drug trade. In 2011, the UNODC report estimated that the number of dependent drug users in Iran is 1,200,000, 2.2% of the adult population. Opium is the drug of choice for many of these addicts. According to economics researcher Francisco Thoumi at the Universidad del Rosario, At least parts of the [Iranian] population have always used opium the way the West uses alcohol. In fact, Iran has the highest per capita number of opium addicts in the world, with 2.8% of Iranians over age 15 being addicted. In addition, opium is incredibly cheap. Since alcohol is banned in Iran, opium serves as a cheap and available substitute. In addition to opium, heroin use has also grown in Iran. The 2001 US invasion of Afghanistan cut cultivation of poppy seeds and opium supply in the early 2000s, and as a result many Iranians switched to heroin. Heroin is much less conspicuous a drug than opium. Thus, when government restrictions are placed on opiates, heroin use tends to increase. Other drugs, such as methamphetamines, LSD, cannabis and ecstasy are also becoming more prevalent in the republic. According to a UNODC report, 8% of 90 countries surveyed said methamphetamine that originates from Iran is a growing problem. Iranian drug-producers themselves are mass-producing an extremely pure form of methamphetamine. In Europe especially, many say they have witnessed a large amount of pure methamphetamine in circulation originating from Iran. According to the 2007 UNODC report, the number of heroin and amphetamine stimulant users in Iran has increased while opium usage has declined. Unfortunately, increasing drug use in Iran has also led to the boom of HIV/AIDS in the nation. Iran s health minister states that there has been a nine-fold growth in the number of HIV/AIDS patients in the past decade. Interestingly, 20% of all estimated opiate users inject drugs, Abtahi 6

7 a potential source of HIV/AIDS infection. In 2005, the Washington Post reported a 25% HIV infection rate among heroin users in Iran, and been posited to be increased currently. Additionally, two-thirds of the 20,000 Iranians with HIV/AIDS were infected through contaminated needles. Since conversations surrounding sex and HIV/AIDS have been viewed as traditionally taboo in Iran, only been recently clinics and facilities have opened for treating the disease. Iran has attempted to battle drug trafficking for quite some time. In 1979 a theocratic government came to power in Iran and countless addicts were sent to prison. Throughout the 1980s, tens of thousands of addicts were arrested and thousands of traffickers were executed. Millions of dollars were spent in sending troops to secure the border. In 2001, 68,000 Iranians were imprisoned for drug trafficking and 32,000 were imprisoned for addiction. Under President Khatami, a new program focused more on prevention and treatment was initiated. Addiction and trafficking were separated as two very different issues needing different approaches. Under President Ahmadinejad, however, policies shifted back to imprisonment, execution, and increasing border control. In recent years, Iran has become more practical in dealing with addiction, providing drug treatment, needle exchanges and methadone centers. Iranian forces have been working to secure the 1,923 km long border with Afghanistan, and have built one of the strongest drug combating enforcement capabilities in the region. Additionally, Iranian forces have increased security precautions along opium trafficking routes. In 2011, Iran accounted for 80% of the opium seizures in the world, and 30% of all heroin seizures. Even so, Iran admits they can only capture a small percentage of the immense amounts of opium trafficked into Iran. Millions of dollars are spent annually in border control, and Iran has built extensive barriers along its borders between both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Moreover, severe laws have been enacted for drug trafficking. 40% of Abtahi 7

8 current prisoners have been convicted for drug charges and hundreds of captured drug smugglers have received the death penalty. In addition to domestic programs, international efforts have been take to combat drug trafficking. France, Spain and Britain, along with other European countries, have provided financial aid and equipment, such as drug-sniffing dogs. Iran has agreements with several Asian countries for aid and cooperation. The republic is also a member of agencies such as the Drug Control Coordination Unit of the Economic Cooperation Organization and the 6+2 group, which is made up of 6 Central Asian states, Russia and the U.S. These groups work to control drug abuse and trafficking. Interestingly, Iran has also been a member nation of two UN treaties aimed at the illegal drug trade. The UNODC was established in Iran in 1999, implementing itself through the NOROUZ program, a Persian word meaning New Year and simultaneously standing for Narcotics Reduction Unitized Program. NOROUZ intended to work with the government to lessen the drug problem through both supply and demand reduction. From the UNODC underwent initiated program made up of three objectives: drug supply reduction, drug demand reduction, and promoting rule of law. In their endeavor to reduce drug supplies, Iranian police have been provided with drug detection kits, dogs, specialized training sessions, and body-scanning equipment in their airports. Support was also provided to initiatives intended to deal with Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran as a whole. In their quest to reduce demand for illicit drugs, NGOs and other partnerships have been formed. To strengthen rule of law, efforts were made to strengthen legislative bodies and reform the judiciary. The success of these efforts is debatable. The UN has developed a 3-step program intended to run from to stop illegal drug trafficking. The first part of this program addresses illicit trafficking and border management. Abtahi 8

9 The intended outcomes of this part are an increase in capacity at the border and both national and international efforts to increase interdiction. The second intended outcome is to crack down on organized drug networks. A major aspect of this is working on the Triangular Initiative which serves to bring Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan together to fight the illicit drug trade. The second part attempts to reduce demand for drugs and control HIV/AIDs prevalence. The intended outcomes include increasing access to HIV/AIDS prevention and treatments, and implementing programs to reduce drug demand. The last focus is crime, justice and corruption. In 2009, Iran ratified the United Nations Convention against Corruption. The program for the next few years works to introduce legislative frameworks, anti-corruption bodies, and the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. However, as security along the border increases, drug-related violence has done the same. Heavily armed drug gangs have fought with police and border guards, using bombs and armed vehicles to destroy checkpoints. As the head of the UNODC office, Roberto Arbitro, stated in 2005, "You have drug groups like guerrilla forces. They shoot heavily with rocket launchers, heavy machine guns, and Kalashnikovs. Thousands of police officers and border guards have lost their lives in the drug trade. Over the last three decades, more than 3,700 national law enforcement officials have been killed in fighting the drug trade. Although many different approaches have been taken, the problem has not abated. Drug addiction in Iran continues at soaring rates, and mass amounts of opium and other drugs are trafficked through the country. Although mass seizures have been made, with the amount of drugs being trafficked through, it has become difficult to effectively control the border control. Many argue that a supply-side solution is more effective, however others advocate more for demand- Abtahi 9

10 reduction. Still others debate that the root of the problem is lack of rule of law and stability, and believe instilling these is the only real solution. Bloc Positions: Conservative Members: The conservative members of parliament are, for the most part, in favor of using the military and defense forces to ensure the flow of drugs into Iran stops. While the Iranian army has taken huge losses in their war on drugs, the conservative parties put a great deal of faith into the defense services. Coincidentally, most of the drug trafficking originates in the eastern more conservative parts of the country, along the border with Afghanistan. The eastern regions and Tehran are the most affected regions of Iran, with the east where most of the smuggling occurs and Tehran where the drugs end up for consumption. There are pressures to step up actions against smugglers and dealers coming from the conservative side. Liberal Members: The liberal members generally hail from western regions that have fewer problems with drugs. There have been a lot of accusations that current members from current military and government are profiting from the drug trade. The liberals will be more critical of the conservative controlled government and the revolutionary guard concerning this issue. The liberal bloc is also more willing to use international organizations aid and other novel tools to contain the growing drug trade that has affected the country in these past years. Abtahi 10

11 Questions to Consider: 1. What is the best way to eliminate the sale of illicit drugs? Is it through penalizing the users or the dealers? Or both? 2. What is more important to eliminate: the drug use, or the violence associated with the drug trade? 3. What are other geopolitical consequences of Iran patrolling its border with Afghanistan more stringently? 4. If the rate of using illicit drugs in Iran goes down, how will it affect the international drug trade? 5. How would drug use in other countries be affected by decreased drug trafficking in Iran? 6. Would drug traffickers find some other route into the western world as they have done for centuries? 7. How just is it for a government to limit the sale and use of drugs in their country? Recommended Sources: Abtahi 11

12 Bibliography: Beehner, Lionel. "Afghanistan's Role in Iran's Drug Problem." Council on Foreign Relations. Council on Foreign Relations, 14 Sept Web. 04 Jan "Iran Reports Sharp Rise in People with HIV." Theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media, 02 Dec Web. 06 Jan Samii, Bill. "Iran: Country's Drug Problems Appear To Be Worsening." RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. N.p., 18 July Web. 06 Jan Smith, Reid. "A Detailed History of the Afghan Drug Trade." Kabulpress.org. Kabul Press, 24 Dec Web. 04 Jan "United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime." Islamic Republic of Iran. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Jan Vick, Karl. "Opiates of the Iranian People." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 23 Sept Web. 06 Jan Warrick, Joby. "In Iran, Drug Trafficking Soars as Sanctions Take Bigger Bite." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 01 Nov Web. 06 Jan Abtahi 12