Iran to distribute condoms, needles from vending machines as public health measure

Heroin is big in Iran. Next door to Afghanistan, producer of 93% of the world's opium, it is the main corridor for opium and heroin (and hashish, but that's another story) traveling to Africa and Europe. It's estimated that 700 of the 2500 tonnes of Afghani opium products passing through Iran stay in the country.

TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran is installing vending machines in Tehran to sell cheap condoms and syringes to drug addicts to prevent the spread of AIDS and hepatitis, an official said on Wednesday.

"Five of these machines which have been made will be installed in five of Tehran city's welfare shelters for addicts," the deputy head of Iran's anti-narcotics organisation, Mohammad Reza Jahani, said.

"Condoms, syringes, bandages and plasters will be easily accessible just by inserting a coin. This protects addicts from acquiring AIDS and hepatitis," he added, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.

He said that a single 500 rial (five cents) coin is required to purchase the items.

"The machines will be used for a three month trial period and if the scheme is successful then we will upgrade them and increase their distribution to other shelters," he added.

That's certainly not something that one would expect to see from a fundamentalist Islamic state such as Iran, known for public hangings of accused homosexuals. Hell, there are still many states in the US where needle exchange is still illegal, and providing condoms for free is controversial (Condoms have been free in Iranian pharmacies for years in an effort to combat population growth). Here's the money shot:

Iran has tried to change its approach to drug addicts by treating users as "people who need help" rather than throwing them into already overcrowded jails.