Beckley Briefing Paper Number 8 - The rise of harm reduction in the Islamic Republic of Iran

This paper looks at changing approaches to the drug problem in Iran where there is growing recognition of the limits of an enforcement driven approach, and the importance of the medical and social dimensions of drug misuse. This has resulted in improvements in drug treatment and expansion of harm reduction services including: HIV prevention, substitution treatment, outreach, and the development of treatment and infection prevention services for drug users in prison.