Drugs and Afghanistan

Abstract

Within a highly volatile socio-economic, political and legal environment, opium poppy has become an integral part of livelihood strategies in many rural communities in Afghanistan. Over the past decade Afghanistan has become the world's leading producer of opium. The easy availability of both opium and heroin, as well as a wide range of pharmaceutical drugs, coupled with an impoverished population traumatized by 20 years of war and conflict, has led to an increase in drug problems both in Afghanistan and refugee communities in neighbouring countries. This overview of the supply of, and demand for, drugs in Afghanistan provides insights into the complexities of drug production and consumption within the broader context of development issues and objectives.