Pathology of Implementation of Drug Policies in the Islamic Republic of Iran

We employed the top-down policy implementation model of  Horn and Meter, from policymaking to the implementation stage we need to consider six components including standards and objectives, resources, inter-organizational communication and enforcement activities, characteristics of implementing agencies, economic, social and political conditions and the disposition of implementers.  In this research, we used a directed qualitative content analysis method based on semi-structured interviews with  elites in the field of anti-narcotics policy implementation. Then, we compared the results with the model of our research. According to the results of our study, 13 deviances are identified as follows: executors not prioritising anti-narcotic actions, confliction and multiplicity of policy objectives, lack of an index for success evaluation, the disproportion between objectives and standards, resources mismanagement, Structural inconsistencies in the implementation stage, Systematic disregard for science and practice, Institutional and social turmoil, Polyphony and lack of strong organizational authority, implementers disbelief, lack of monitoring and accountability, insistence on quick-response measures and inability in prioritisation.