Iran helps the Americans in Afghanistan?

Apparently, at least when it comes to the United States' efforts to fight opium trafficking in Afghanistan, at least according to a Seattle Times report.

Perhaps this is because the Islamic Republic has the opiate consumption rate of any country in the world.

According to statistics published by the U.N World Drug Report in its 2006 study just released, the annual prevalence of opiate abuse in Iran as a percentage of the population aged 15-64 was 2.8.

This compares with the world's next highest opiate-consuming countries of Kyrgyzstan (2.3); Russia and Mauritius (2.0); and Kazakhstan (1.3).

By contrast, the Great Satan's opiate-injesting rate is comparatively low: Less than one percent (0.6) of the comparable U.S. population is believed to be using opiates.

Hey, I guess we can drink to that - here in the U.S.

Recall that the consumption of alcohol in the Islamic Republic is banned. Anyone caught drinking can face up to 74 lashes, a heavy fine, and anywhere from three months to a year in jail.

But from most personal accounts I've heard, even these harsh punishments are not enough to stop the so-inclined. They just drive some people, it would appear, to take drugs.