A spokesman for the Anti-narcotics Task Force says deaths among drug-addicted women have risen by 33 percent over the past year.
Parviz Afshar told the Tasnim News Agency that the mixing of drugs and stimulants is one of the chief causes of the rising death toll among female drug abusers. He specifically referred to the mixing of alcohol benzodiazepines and valium.
Of the 1.325 million drug abusers identified across the country, 10 percent are women. Just seven years ago, women accounted for only five percent of drug abusers.
Afshar maintained that “seductive advertising” in clubs and spas for weight loss, increased attention and enhanced beauty is a major player in “steering women toward stimulant drugs”.
Earlier reports by the president’s advisor on Women and Family Affairs also indicate that drug abuse among women is growing at twice the rate as it is for men.