Maintaining disorder: the micropolitics of drugs policy in Iran

Figures & data

Figure 1. State institutions and addiction.

Figure 2. Meanwhile on the Tehran Metro: a shisheh smoker.

Note: This photograph circulated widely in September 2015 among Telegram App users. I received it in the drugs policy group (which includes leading members of the drugs policy community) ‘The Challenges of Addiction’.

Figure 3. The state and its rhizomes.

Note: Drawing courtesy of Italian artist Fruk (aka Federica Di Violante).

Table 1. Rehabilitation ‘camps’.

	State run	Private	Illegal
Legal status	Legislated under Article 16 of the 2010 drug law.	Legislated under Article 15 of the 2010 drug law.	Illegal.
Management	Managed by the NAJA, with support from the Welfare Organisation, Ministry of Health.	Managed by private organisations, charities, associations, etc.	Managed by private individuals, or group of people.
Funding	Receive direct state funding, through DCHQ.	No direct funding from the state. Fees are applied for treatment periods of ca. 21 days. Donations from families. Subsidies from Welfare Organisation per treated addict.	No subsidies or governmental funding. Fees apply per person. Donations from local communities. Negotiations for poor families.
Personnel	Social workers, police officers, medical professionals (on paper). In practice, police and local aides.	Former drug users; NA members; social workers and volunteers.	Former and current users.
Methods	Detoxification; in some facilities, methadone substitution is provided. Narcotics Anonymous (NA) support potentially available.	Detoxification, mostly based on NA 12 steps; some organisations adopt specific therapies, eg music therapy, meditation.	Detoxification, also through violent means and coercion.
Target group	Street drug users; homeless drug users; Patoqs. Polydrug users.	Depends on the organisation; mostly, lowermiddle-class drug users, both urban and rural. In specific cases, upper-class people.	Poor drug users, young people, men under psychotic attacks; mostly shisheh and polydrug users.
Means of referral	Arrests. Police operations, drug addicts’ round-up plans. Coercive.	Voluntary referral, through advertisement, word of mouth.	Family, community referral; police referral. Mostly coercive.
Fees	Free.	Set fees (government decree); often negotiated.	Flexible fees, based on status, negotiation.