The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Representative in Iran, Alexander Fedulov praised Iran's role in fighting illegal drugs trafficking along a route that begins from Afghanistan passing through Iran and then Europe, known as Balkans route.
Iran is accounted for 20 percent of the global seizure of heroin and morphine in 2017 which amounted to 23,000 kg, he said referring to the UNODC's World Drug Report 2019.
Speaking at a session held at the organization office in Tehran on International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (June 26) he said, "Iran is accounted for 91 percent of the opium seizures in the world in 2017."
He congratulated Iran for its "very successful efforts" to fight drug trafficking from Afghanistan.
In the annual report, UNODC said that research revealed the health consequences of drug use are more severe and widespread than previously thought.
It is estimated that some 35 million people are suffering from drug use disorders and who require treatment services.
The World Drug Report 2019 is presented in 5 separate parts, each dealing with a specific topic. The first part is an overview of all other four parts. Various dimensions of the illegal drugs use, including the market, health consequences, and statistics of various drugs are addressed.
One focal point of the report is prevention and treatment, which "continue to fall short in many parts of the world".
The report emphasizes that each year, only one in seven people who are suffering from drug use disorders has access to treatment.
It highlights the shortage of treatment in prisons, adding that only fifty-six countries have said that they offered drugs substitutions in at least one prison in 2017.
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