The war on opium

Attention increasingly is being focused on Afghanistan and illicit drugs, two of the world's apparently insoluble, yet related problems. War-torn Afghanistan produces more than 90 percent of the world's heroin, which provides money for the Taliban insurgency. In which of the following countries does the largest share of the population use opiates?
A. Afghanistan
B. United States
C. Russia
D. Iran
In which of the following countries does the largest share of the population use opiates?
A. Afghanistan is not correct.
While Afghanistan is the largest producer of opiates, the country has only an estimated 200,000 opiate users, or 1.4 percent of the population ages 15-64, as of 2005, the latest year for which data are available. While opium historically has been a vice indulged in primarily by the elderly, the current lack of economic and physical security, a war-traumatized population in search of relief, and the ready availability of opiates all mean that Afghanistan is at great risk of developing an endemic domestic drug problem.
B. United States is not correct.
In the United States, 1.2 million people — or 0.6 percent of those in the 15-64 age group — use opiates. This is slightly more than the global average of 0.4 percent. Worldwide, an estimated 16.5 million people use opiates. Of these, 9.3 million, or 57 percent, live in Asia. Europe ranks second, with 22 percent of opiate users, or 0.7 percent of the continent's 15-64 population.
C. Russia is not correct.
Although the Russian Federation does not have the highest rate of opiate use, it has a significant problem with the drug. About 1.6 percent of those ages 15-64 uses the substance. Russia's drug problem has been compounded by the implosion of its public-health system after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.
D. Iran is correct.
As a percentage of the population, Iran has the largest problem with opiates, with an estimated 2.8 percent of the population ages 15-64 using them, according to the United Nations. There is no doubt Iran's proximity to Afghanistan contributes to the problem.