Afghanistan Times
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KABUL – Afghanistan is facing a profound challenge with approximately 3.5 million drug users, a startling number that accounts for nearly 10 percent of the country’s total population, as revealed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the wake of the Taliban’s return to power.
This grim revelation sheds light on the hidden struggles of thousands of families grappling with drug addiction issues, and it’s indicative of the mounting societal challenges faced by the Afghan people.
Simultaneously, Afghan farmers have been hit hard, losing over US$1 billion in income due to the Taliban’s prohibition of poppy cultivation, according to a recent report from the United Nations drugs agency.
Taliban pledged to wipe out the country’s drug cultivation industry and imposed a formal ban in April 2022, dealing a heavy blow to hundreds of thousands of farmers and day labourers who relied on proceeds from the crop to survive. Opium cultivation has crashed by 95 per cent after the ban, the report from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said.
UN officials said the strong contraction of the opium economy is expected to have far-reaching consequences for the country as opiate exports before the ban accounted for between 9-14 per cent of the national GDP.
Afghanistan, once the world’s leading opium producer and a significant source for heroin in Europe and Asia, witnessed a radical transformation when the Taliban assumed control in August 2021. They made a resolute commitment to eradicate the country’s drug cultivation industry, officially banning poppy cultivation in April 2022, a move that delivered a substantial blow to hundreds of thousands of farmers and daily wage laborers who relied on the proceeds from this crop for their livelihood.
This report also highlights the personal struggles of individuals affected by this crisis, such as a woman who has endured numerous acts of violence as a consequence of her husband’s addiction. In a society characterized by deeply entrenched cultural norms, low literacy rates, pervasive poverty, and high unemployment, compounded by years of conflict and instability, women like her are often viewed as powerless and trapped in cycles of violence, with few means to change their circumstances.
