Social Problems of Iran

Drug Addiction Compulsory Treatment Policy in Iran: The Collection-Release Dichotomy) Case Study: Social Services of Article 16 Centers under the Anti-Narcotics Law)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Saman Yousefvand 1
Morteza Ganji 2
Reza Ganji 3

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Cultural–Social Governance, Faculty of Governance, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

2 PhD in Cultural Sociology, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran

3 M.A. Student in Social Sciences Research, Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, Tehran, iran

10.22034/jspi.2026.11089
Abstract
Drug addiction in contemporary Iran is one of the most critical social harms. Over the past four decades, the governing system has undertaken numerous measures in the form of legislation, institutional structuring, and budget allocation to control and reduce it. However, the challenges in this field have become increasingly complex and intensified. This study aims to examine and identify the challenges and barriers to the success of Article 16 centers, established under the 2010 Anti-Narcotics Law, in providing compulsory treatment for publicly visible drug users. Employing a qualitative research methodology, the study utilizes thematic analysis and data collection tools including 15 semi-structured interviews and three focus group discussions. In the initial coding stage, 89 primary codes were extracted, which were later grouped into 15 themes. Ultimately, the core category identified was "instability and incompleteness of the treatment cycle," which reflects the underlying dichotomy of "collection and release" in the treatment process of publicly visible drug users. The study concludes that addiction treatment policy in Iran is imbalanced and overly focused on compulsory treatment. This is despite the fact that the processes of collection, screening, treatment, rehabilitation, and aftercare are fraught with various procedural, institutional-structural, and strategic challenges. These findings highlight the unstable and incomplete nature of the treatment cycle in compulsory treatment centers.

Keywords

Social problem
Compulsory treatment
addiction
Social service provision
Anti-Narcotics Act
Overt drug dependence
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  • Receive Date 06 January 2026
  • Revise Date 12 March 2026
  • Accept Date 30 March 2026
  • First Publish Date 22 June 2026