TEHRAN - In an attempt to check the effects of strong new varieties of illicit drugs that are flooding the market, the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has revived some of the punitive methods seen in the early days of the Islamic Revolution. Yet neither punitive action nor the continued use of preventive strategies introduced in later years seem to be working.

Estimates of the number of Iranians who use drugs vary wildly. The commander of Iran's law enforcement forces, General Esmail Ahmadi-Moqaddam, has said there are about 1.2 million addicts and another 700,000 who can be considered recreational users. Others put the true figure much higher. Various experts and members of parliament have said there are almost four million addicts and 2.5 million occasional users, while other estimates have cited figures of up to nine million people.

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