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"The Horrors of Drug" by Pedram Salemi (Majority World)
Gorgin Darre is a village of Kermanshah, the capital of Kermanshah Province, and is located 525 kilometers (326 miles) from Tehran in the western part of Iran. Gorgin Darre, for Ali Panahi, four-year-old boy is the whole world. Perhaps his simple life is like a nightmare for the modern people. The village is 35 km away from the nearest first city. This distance is the end of Ali_s world. Living in "Gorgin Darre" means farming, livestock rising and Opium consumption for everyone in every moment! Every vendor in "Gorgin Darre", in addition to bread and butter and yogurt, also sells opium. Opium in Iran is widely available with low price; it costs far less in Iran than in the West, and is even cheaper than beer. 3 grams of opium can be purchased for 30,000 Iranian Rials, equivalent to $1 USD. Opium is popular because alcohol is haram (forbidden in Islam), and more tightly controlled by the Iranian Government. The Iranian Government estimates the number of addicts at 2 million and according to UNODC estimates, 450 tons of opium are consumed in Iran each year. Opium affects the life of Ali and other children in different ways. Opium in "Gorgin Darre" does not differentiate for age. Ali's parents and his 8-years-old sister, Mohaddeseh, and their guests, use drugs all together. Ali and the village children spend, all day, among the dusty roads and when return home, they will see a table and smoke spread in space. Smell of opium is the smell of life in Gorgin Darre. (ps.)
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