Drugs Deviancy and Democracy in Iran

In the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution the government of the Islamic Republic initiated a stringent anti-drug campaign that included fining addicts imprisonment physical punishment and even the death penalty. Despite these measures drug use was and is still commonplace. Based on her most recent fieldwork Janne Bjerre Christensen explores the mounting problems of drug use in Iran how treatment became legalized in 1998 how local NGOs offer methadone treatment in Tehran and face continuous political challenges in doing so and how drug use is critically discussed in Iranian media and cinema. Drugs Deviancy and Democracy in Iran is thus a unique account of Iran's recent social and political history drawing important conclusions about the complexity of state power and the growing impact of civil society vital for all those interested in Iran's history politics and society.