A staggering 92 percent of the illicit opium worldwide is being produced in Afghanistan, a United Nations narcotics researcher said.
The figures point to an increased production of opium in Afghanistan, and do not herald a decreased production of illicit opium in other parts of the world, Thomas Pietschmann, research officer at the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in an interview with TML’s The International News Hour.
This constitutes the highest percentage of drug production in Afghanistan the U.N. has ever recorded.
The 2006 figures point to an increase of 59% in opium poppy cultivation in one year, and a 49% increase in drug production.
Contrary to wide belief, fighting poppy cultivation and opium production was not on the agenda of the allied forces that invaded Afghanistan in late 2001, Pietschmann said. He explained that this was considered a task for the police and not for the military.
“We fear that some of the active warlords gave the wrong signals, saying opium cultivation will be a temporary issue. Unfortunately that’s not the case,” he said.
Afghanistan is also suffering from a domestic drug-use problem, which has increased dramatically over the past three years.
An estimated 1.4% of the population aged 15-64 is addicted to opiates in Afghanistan, compared to the global average of 0.4%, according to U.N. figures.
The UNODC is trying to activate alternative programs and is supporting the allied forces to help install security and stability.
Another area of activity is increasing border control and cooperation in countries between Afghanistan and Europe in order to stem the flow of drugs across the borders.