RFERL:

Mass alcohol poisoning and related deaths have exposed an alcohol problem in the Islamic republic, where a ban introduced following the 1979 revolution has failed to prevent Iranians from drinking.

Ninety-two people were poisoned, four fatally, after drinking in Sirjan in the southern province of Kerman, Iranian media reported on July 23.

Drinking alcohol is forbidden in Iran and punishable by flogging and fines. Repeated offenders can face the death penalty.

Yet, many Iranians do drink. They either buy smuggled foreign alcoholic beverages that tend to be very expensive, or they drink cheap domestic hooch -- usually made from raisins -- called araq sagi. Christians are exempted from the ban, and are allowed to possess alcohol for personal use.

In recent years, official warnings about the spread of alcohol consumption and alcoholism have increased.

The head of Iran’s health ministry department focusing on drug use, Alireza Norouzi, later said that the ministry planned to set up 150 centers for outpatient alcohol rehabilitation. RFE/RL was unable to independently determine if the plans had been realized.

Prosecutor Abbas Ali Jafari said last year that over the course of 10 months, 300,000 bottles of foreign alcohol and about 200,000 liters of locally distilled alcohol had been seized in Tehran.

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