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.