A Pathological Approach to the Cultural Strategies for the Prevention of Drug Addiction in Iran; from Policies Making to Making Policies Operational

Drug addiction, as a multi-dimensional phenomenon with multi-dimensional effects, is a problem which, according to nearly all of the researchers and thinkers in this area and due to contiguity with main production centers, being situated in the best and shortest transit path, special social, economical and political circumstances and finally some other cultural factors is continuously growing and hence its negative effects are increasing in various domains in the country. Some strategies have been proposed in the last few decades, amongst which are the cultural strategies that have been the focus of attention in the past ten years. However these cultural policies have not been successful enough in this domain. Using a qualitative methodology and taking a descriptive-analytic approach, this article seeks to do a pathological survey of cultural policies for preventing drug addiction in Iran based on the four step continuum of ‘cultural theory and approach, cultural policymaking, cultural planning and cultural management’.