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A Study of Authorized Opium Addiction in Shiraz city and Fars Province, Iran *
Author(s) -
Mehryar A. H.,
Moharreri M. R.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
british journal of addiction to alcohol and other drugs
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.424
H-Index - 193
eISSN - 1360-0443
pISSN - 0007-0890
DOI - 10.1111/j.1360-0443.1978.tb00127.x
Subject(s) - opium , addiction , medicine , southern iran , traditional medicine , population , family medicine , demography , environmental health , geography , psychiatry , sociology , art , literature , archaeology
Summary Based on the official records available at the Provincial Health Department, this paper attempts to summarize the existing evidence on the extent of officially authorized opium use in Fars Province. The main findings are as follows:1 Over 52% of the 11,545 registered opium addicts in Pars Province are under sixty years. 2 More than two thirds of the addicts are residents of Shiraz County. 3 The eleven counties of Pars Province vary widely in terms of the ratio of registered addicts per 1000 of population. The highest ratios were found in the counties of Neyriz (8.9per 1000) and Shiraz (8.7 per 1000). The lowest ratio (1 per 1000) belonged to the counties of Kazeroon and Mammasani. 4 Of the 4560 cases of registered addicts with relatively complete files in Shiraz city, only 12.7% were female, and 58 % were below age 60. Thus the majority of registered opium users in Shiraz city have been authorized to continue their drug dependence on bona fide medical grounds. Although the list of authorizing physicians embraces a wide range of specialities, the large majority of addicts have been authorized by general practitioners. Most of the latter are somehow associated with the opium registration administration and have used a large variety of medical labels for justifying opium use by addicts.The implications of these findings for the drug control policy of the county are discussed.