Iraq’s drug epidemic spreads from schools to government offices

Iraq is grappling with a worsening drug crisis, as trafficking and consumption escalate, reaching public schools and apparently government offices. 

Senior Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has accused high-ranking government officials of involvement in the drug trade, while authorities intensify efforts to combat the issue. Experts warn that without stricter laws and harsher penalties, the crisis will persist.

The Iraqi government launched security raids targeting drug networks and gang hideouts, and imposed mandatory drug testing for government employees, including teachers.

While some view these actions as a crucial public health measure, others see it as an affront to their professionalism. Conflicting statements from education authorities have led to confusion over who must comply with the tests, and concerns have arisen regarding salary deductions for testing costs, which the Ministry of Education denies.

“The drug test is not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education, but is a decision made by a higher committee. This measure applies to all government workers across various ministries as a public health concern,” stated Kareem Al-Sayyid, spokesperson for Iraq‘s Ministry of Education, to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, The New Arab’s Arabic-language sister publication.

Iraq’s parliament passed Law No. 50 on Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances in 2017, while the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) enacted Law No. 1 of 2020 on drug prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation.

Lawyers argue that Iraq’s recent drug laws have contributed to increased consumption.

For his part, Iraqi Kurdish lawyer Farman Hassan told TNA, “The new laws significantly reduced punishments, allowing most drug-related defendants to be released on bail, with many sentences converted to increasing fines and reducing imprisonment. This has facilitated the expansion of the drug market in Iraq and the Kurdistan region.”

Hassan also suggested that large-scale drug trade is linked to influential figures. “It is difficult for drugs to proliferate in society unless powerful elements within the government are behind it,” he said. 

The issue, according to him, is that when drug dealers are arrested, senior Iraqi and Kurdish officials intervene for their release, as either the officials have a share in the trade or do the trade for the benefit of their ruling parties.  

Allegations of government involvement

Muqtada al-Sadr, leader of the National Shia Movement, accused unnamed officials of benefiting from the drug trade. “Unfortunately, there are beneficiaries of drug money from within and outside the government, whether for political or economic reasons,” he recently claimed in response to a question from one of his loyalists.

Yasser Al-Husseini, a member of the Iraqi Parliament’s Committee for Combating Drugs, supported these claims, telling Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, “Influential figures are involved in the drug trade, aiming for financial gain and, in some cases, weakening Iraqi society. The drug threat is as severe as terrorism, given the rise in drug-related crimes.”

Al-Husseini has called for a shift in focus from small-time dealers to the key players behind large trafficking operations. “To truly combat this crisis, law enforcement must dismantle the networks controlling the trade, not just pursue low-level dealers,” he remarked.

Iraq’s most senior Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, issued an influential directive last year condemning the use and trade of drugs, urging the Iraqi public to distance themselves from traffickers.

The scale of the drug problem in Iraq was underscored in May 2024, when authorities announced the seizure of 2.5 million Captagon pills in a single day. Iraq, which serves as a key conduit for the amphetamine-type drug, frequently reports large hauls of Captagon, much of it trafficked across its porous 600-kilometre border with war-torn Syria.

Despite numerous arrests, drug trafficking remains a major concern. Al-Husseini urged Iraq to collaborate with neighbouring countries to curb drug smuggling, as traffickers continue to find new ways to bring illicit substances into the country.

A report from the Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights identified crystal meth—primarily smuggled from Iran—Captagon pills from Syria, as well as cannabis and heroin as the most common drugs in Iraq.

Iraq‘s Ministry of Interior recently reported that nearly 3,000 addicts have undergone rehabilitation, marking the highest recorded recovery rate in the country. Fifteen compulsory rehabilitation centres have been established in Baghdad and other provinces, with an additional facility planned in Nineveh.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is also intensifying its anti-narcotics efforts. Recently, authorities arrested 35 individuals, including foreign nationals, for their involvement in international drug trafficking.

KRG Anti-Narcotics Directorate spokesperson Arkan Biban confirmed on Sunday, “Forty-nine kilograms of crystal meth and two kilograms of heroin were confiscated in Erbil and Duhok. Most suspects are foreign dealers, while others are local residents.”