Iraqi human rights organization warns against treating drug addicts as criminals

Shafaq News/ The Iraqi Strategic Center for Human Rights warned on Sunday against treating drug addicts as criminals.

In a statement, the center's vice president, lawyer Hazem al-Radaini, said drug addicts are "patients who need treatment in psychiatric hospitals that should be provided in every province."

He argued that incarcerating them with criminals convicted of other criminal offenses, including drug traffickers, makes them "future criminal projects".

Al-Radaini called on the government and the Ministry of Justice to provide special detention facilities for those convicted of drug possession, separate from those convicted of other criminal offenses.

He also called on the Ministry of Interior, the Police, and the Ministry of Health "to join hands to rehabilitate the patients to integrate back into society and get rid of the scourge of addiction."

Iraq's drug problem has reached critical levels. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the country has become a major transit route for illegal drugs, particularly Captagon, a stimulant amphetamine. This lucrative trade fuels organized crime and terrorist networks, posing a significant threat to regional stability.

In a 2021 report, the UNODC highlighted the alarming rise of crystal meth in Iraq, warning that it is now manufactured domestically in southern border governorates.

Some in Iraq have directly linked the high unemployment rate among youth to increased addiction. For instance, the Basra police department said that 97% of drug users arrested in 2018 were unemployed, and two-thirds were 25 or younger; the Basra appellate court reported that 90% of those arrested for drug use around the same time were unemployed. Unfortunately, there are no reliable official numbers, but statements by officials indicate that the drug problem is very acute in some cities; for example, the governor of Diwaniyah stated that the rate of drug abuse by youth had reached 40%, according to some estimates by nongovernmental organizations.

Compounding the issue are the shortcomings of Iraq's legal framework. While the 2017 Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Act prescribes the death penalty for certain drug offenses, its implementation has been inconsistent.

Human rights organizations raised concerns about the potential for arbitrary application of the law, particularly in a country with a fragile human rights record. They argue that capital punishment is not an effective deterrent and fails to address the root causes of drug abuse, such as poverty, unemployment, and lack of access to treatment.