Around 7,000 addicts treated at Baghdad rehabilitation center as Iraq steps up fight against narcotics

BAGHDAD — Abdulrahim Taha Hammoudi, Director of the Al-Qanat Social Rehabilitation Center in Baghdad, announced that approximately 7,000 drug addicts have received treatment at the facility, underscoring a significant rise in the number of individuals seeking help at rehabilitation centers across Iraq.

“As part of the Prime Minister’s government program in the health sector, hospitals and specialized centers have been established to treat victims of addiction and drug abuse,” Hammoudi told the state-owned Al-Iraqiya channel. “The Ministry of Health has developed a plan to create addiction treatment centers and hospitals in Baghdad and other provinces.”

The Prime Minister’s directive, issued in 2023, sought to establish rehabilitation centers in every Iraqi governorate, excluding the Kurdistan Region, to combat the growing narcotics problem.

The Al-Qanat Social Rehabilitation Center, inaugurated in February 2023, features 150 beds and serves as a key component of this strategy.

Hammoudi emphasized that awareness campaigns about the availability of treatment have played a crucial role in encouraging addicts to seek rehabilitation. “The center has successfully treated nearly 7,000 addicts so far,” he stated, adding that multiple hospitals in Baghdad and other provinces are now dedicated to treating addiction cases.

“Rehabilitation is about returning addicts to their pre-addiction lives, focusing on medical, behavioral, social, and psychological support,” Hammoudi explained. The treatment program typically includes a one-month stay at the center, followed by weekly visits over a three-month period.

“Addiction causes both short-term and long-term complications.,” Hammoudi said.

A report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in March 2024 highlighted Iraq’s escalating drug problem. Methamphetamine seizures in 2023 were nearly six times higher than in 2019, while captagon seizures tripled between 2022 and 2023. In total, the amount of drugs seized in 2023 was 34 times higher than in 2019.

In 2023 alone, more than 19,000 people were arrested on drug-related charges across Iraq, with over 15 tons of psychotropic substances seized. According to the Iraqi Interior Ministry, at least 17 drug suspects were killed in clashes with security forces throughout the year.