Iran: Breaking the Habit

Only six hours after the Shah of Iran reluctantly signed the order, the sound of rifle fire cracked across an open field near Teheran, and ten blindfolded bodies fell to the ground. The ten men were executed not for committing murder or treason. They were the first victims of the world's toughest narcotics law. Iran's vigorous police campaign began 14 years ago, when health officials discovered to their alarm that 1 Iranian in 10 was an addict (total population 20 million in 1955). In some villages such as Sabzavar (pop. 40,000), where the soil is conducive to the...

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