Forty-three years of rule by the mullahs of the Iranian regime has brought nothing but pain and misery to the people of Iran. The country has turned into a nation devoid of human values, and society is faced with high levels of unemployment, with the people forced to live in extreme poverty. As a result, the Iranian youth are drawn in a trapped by drug gangs, who are under the control of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS).

Last year, in an interview with the state-run website, 55 Online, Saeed Safatian, an addiction expert stated that out of Iran’s population of over 80 million people, over 4.4 million people are addicted to drugs. Of these people, around 60% are industrial drug users, while the remaining 40% are heavily addicted to psychedelic drugs.

The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) said, “The first psychedelic substance is cannabis or Gol (Marijuana), followed by glass (Amphetamine). Marijuana consumption has increased dramatically in recent years, lowering the age of addiction in the country dramatically. Especially young girls have turned to drugs.”

In his interview, Safatian agreed that the regime’s fight against combatting drug addiction in Iran has not been successful, stating that the previous administration under the former president, Hassan Rouhani, “was perhaps one of the weakest governments in the fight against drugs.”

According to the vice president of the University of Applied Sciences, Asghar Kesht Kar, the rates of unemployment and addiction go hand in hand. The rising unemployment rates have seen a great increase in the number of addiction cases in Iran in recent years, and university graduates are heavily featured in these statistics.

In a report published by the state-run ISNA news agency on January 13, he stated that among university graduates, the rate of unemployment is now at 42 percent.

The MEK said, “In other words, university graduates comprise most of the urban unemployed. These classifications among the unemployed pose a major threat to the ruling political system. Therefore, there is no doubt that youth addiction is part of the official policy of government institutions to distract society, especially the youths from their rightful demands and freedom.”

Smoking tobacco is also a major issue in the realm of addictions in Iran. On January 16, a report on the state-run pgnews website stated that between 50,000 and 60,000 people die annually in Iran as a result of smoking.