ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraq’s interior ministry said Thursday it has expanded its efforts to support people struggling with drug addiction by building new rehabilitation centers and shifting the focus from punishment to treatment.

The General Directorate for Narcotics Affairs announced that 16 specialized rehabilitation centers have been established across the country, including three in Baghdad, and that 6,000 people have completed treatment and been reintegrated into society.

Brig. Gen. Ziyad al-Qaisi, the directorate’s media chief, told the state media that the centers operate differently from those run by the Ministry of Health. Instead of traditional clinics, he said, they offer “integrated correctional and therapeutic programs” under direct Interior Ministry supervision.

Qaisi said the program works closely with the Supreme Judicial Council, which applies Articles 32 and 39 of the Narcotics Law. Judges increasingly treat drug users as victims of addiction rather than criminals and issue court orders sending them to rehabilitation centers instead of jail.

According to the ministry, the 6,000 people who were admitted to these centers followed an intensive treatment program that included psychological support, nutrition plans, medical care, sports activities, and vocational training. Officials say the approach has helped many fully recover and return to their communities as active members.

Iraq, with its extensive borders with Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, has evolved from a narcotics transit route to a significant consumption market. Authorities in both the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, however, have redoubled their efforts to root out the problem, with initiatives aiming to provide users with necessary assistance, as well as frequent operations to apprehend traffickers.

The University of Duhok’s Vice President Dilshad Hakim told The New Region in October that the university had “opened a center for treating substance abuse addicts” and helped raise awareness on the matter among the public.

Iraqi authorities arrested around 14,500 suspects on drug-related charges in 2024 and issued death sentences for 144 suspected drug traffickers. At least 454 others were sentenced to life (20 years in Iraqi law), according to official data.