Opium in Iran is widely available, and the country was thought to have the highest per capita number of opiate addicts in the world at a rate of 2.8% of Iranians over age 15. This was proven to be false as around 10-15% (5 million) of afghans are addicted to opium, meaning Afghanistan has the most addicts globally by percentage as well as population. The Iranian government estimates the number of addicts at 2 million. Opium and heroin from Afghanistan and Pakistan—known collectively as the Golden Crescent—pass through Iran's eastern borders in large amounts. Total annual opium intercepts by the Iranian authorities are larger than in any other country, but the government admits that they can only intercept a tiny proportion of the thousands of tonnes that are trafficked through Iran every y