Iran’s Health Ministry has announced a troubling increase in alcohol consumption by Iranian youth.
ISNA reports that Abbas Ali Nasehi, the head of the ministry’s social welfare department, said: “Unfortunately, reports of alcohol consumption, especially among youth, are on the rise.”
He added: “Some of this alcohol is being produced at home without adequate health standards, and sometimes instead of ethanol they produce methanol, which can be lethal.”
“We are getting various reports of methanol poisoning from various provinces,” Nasehi said. “Low-level poisoning leads to blindness, but in cases of high toxicity, it can even lead to death.”
He went on to report that the ministry is trying to implement various programs to prevent alcohol consumption, especially among youth.