40 Plays to Be Performed in Tehran Addiction
According to the Secretariat of the Council on Education and Addiction Prevention, the performance of outdoor plays are aimed at warning society against individual and social consequences of drug addiction.
The notorious Khak Sefid neighborhood of Tehran, known as the hub of drug business until only a few months ago, is currently the venue for the celebration of the International Day of Drug Fight.
The Secretariat of the Council on Education and Addiction Prevention, which organizes the ongoing festival, said the day was also marked by breaking ground at Khak Sefid for building a cultural, artistic, and sport complex at a ceremony attended by civil and military officials. Some government officials in charge of drug fight addressed the public at the ceremony.
It said the West as well as the United Nations had consistently witnessed Iran's drug fight at national and international level which, excelled compared to any other country in the area.
Iran has offered a large number of martyrs in its anti-narcotics fight. This year, as the previous years, Iran marks the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Trafficking to remind the world of the relentless fight it has waged against drug trafficking.
A large amount of seized drugs were also burned during the International Day of Anti-Drug Campaign in the presence of Iranian authorities and the public invited to attend the event.
Iran is a major route in the drug trade which originates from Afghanistan and Pakistan to markets in the Persian Gulf, Europe and beyond. The Iranian government spent nearly $20 million last year in the fight against drug trafficking, and has armed thousands of villagers along its eastern border to help combat traffickers.
Official reports say 3,100 Iranian police officers have lost their lives in drug-related battles throughout Iran over the past two decades.