Iranian lawmakers have passed the motion to decriminalize drug use so they can help their addicts heal, instead of punishing them.

While the Judicial and Legal Commission is still working on the exact legislation, the proposal will allow the government to hand out diluted substances to drug users, thus cutting off the relationship between addicts and traffickers.

Some international governments may still be wary of decriminalization – but countries like Portugal can put their worries to rest.

14 years after decriminalizing heroine, the nation's drug use fell by about a third, heroine addiction rates were cut in half, and drug-related deaths decreased by 75%.

"Given the special emphasis that the Establishment's macro-policies put on the necessity of cutting off the relationship between drug addicts and narco-traffickers, we decided that the government hand out diluted drugs to addicts, so that they will be able to give up their addiction gradually and, instead of being drawn to drug-traffickers, turn to the Establishment and meet their needs through official channels," said Hassan Norouzi, the spokesperson for the Parliament's Judicial and Legal Commission, according to IFP News.

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