title: A comparative study of characteristics and risky behaviors among the Iranian opium and opium dross addicts.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Iran ranks first per capita in the use of opiates, but we have little information about possible differences regarding the 2 most commonly used illicit drugs, namely opium and its dross (residue).
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study about drug abuse and drug dependence in Iran was conducted from April 2006 to August 2008 in the prisons of 28 Iranian provinces, in the treatment centers, and in the streets.
  
  
  METHODS
  To pursue the objectives of this research, participants included 2979 opiate addicts including opium users (n = 2636) and dross users (n = 343), who were not significantly different by gender (P = 0.269) or age (P = 0.452).
  
  
  METHODS
  An anonymous questionnaire was completed through an interview that gathered sociodemographic characteristics and information about some high-risk behaviors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  : By the end of the study, we concluded that dross addicts, in comparison with opium addicts, were mostly immigrants from rural areas to urban areas (P = 0.031 χ test, 95% confidence interval [CI]), mostly uneducated, illiterate, or semiliterate (P = 0.04 χ test, 95% CI), had illegal occupations (P = 0.048 χ test, 95% CI), were cigarette smokers (P < 0.000 χ test, 95% CI), and had experienced drug injections (P = 0.032 χ test, 95% CI) and drug overdose (P = 0.007 χ test, 95% CI). They also had a history of hospital admission within the preceding year because of drug overdose (P < 0.000) and a record of being arrested and jailed in the past year (P = 0.028 χ test, 95% CI).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicated the need for more intensive and effective care for the opioid addicts in Iran.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Behavioral Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Sima
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Noohi
authors.forename: Mahyar
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Azar
authors.forename: Ashkan Heshmatzade
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Behzadi
authors.forename: Mahsa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sedaghati
authors.forename: Sepideh Akbari
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Panahi
authors.forename: Nasir
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dehghan
authors.forename: Yasamin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Honarbakhsh
authors.forename: Amirpoya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akasheh
authors.forename: Armin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tahoori
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003415:Crime / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D062787:Drug Overdose / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology*; D009892:Opium; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011330:Prisons / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D009892:Opium