Iranian Common Attitude Toward Opium Consumption.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Sociology
• Cultural Studies

Background:

• Iran has the world's second-highest rate of opioid addiction.
• Socio-economic issues like poverty, unemployment, and family crises contribute to the drug problem.
• Opioid addiction transcends social classes in Iran.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of traditional attitudes and cultural perceptions in Iran's high opioid consumption.
• To analyze the influence of historical literature and common beliefs on opium use.
• To provide recommendations for drug control strategies focusing on attitude correction.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of Iranian poetry and cultural texts.
• Analysis of recent research on patient-reported reasons for opium use.
• Examination of socio-economic factors contributing to addiction.

Main Results:

• Historical Iranian literature portrays raw opium (teriac) as a universal antidote, fostering a positive cultural attitude.
• Patients use raw opium for pain relief and managing chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes.
• This positive perception contributes significantly to widespread raw opium use across social strata.

Conclusions:

• A deeply ingrained positive cultural attitude towards opium, stemming from historical literature, fuels its widespread use in Iran.
• The perceived medicinal properties of opium, though often superstitious, drive consumption among patients with chronic diseases.
• Drug control initiatives must prioritize public education to dismantle these harmful, traditional beliefs and attitudes regarding opium consumption.