News / Health & Wellness
Afghanistan’s Opium Problem
The drug trade is rampant in Afghanistan – and political -- drawing the attention of the American military and hurting locals who get caught up in addiction.
It’s a drug lord’s worst nightmare: tons of raw opium going up in flames, being destroyed in a government-sponsored "drug burn."
Afghanistan produces more than 90 percent of the world’s opium, with nearly 14 million pounds of the drug produced last year in Afghanistan, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. To put that in perspective, CNN.com reported that, “Earnings from opium make up about a third of the country’s gross domestic product.”
Some of that cash is funneled to groups like the Taliban and Al Qaeda. That’s why the U.S. military has taken an interest, sending in troops to curb the opium trade and talk to farmers about growing other crops instead. While many locals are still growing poppies, the middlemen who helped turn it into heroin and smuggle it into neighboring countries fled when the Marines arrived in July 2009, The Christian Science Monitor reported.
Opium Use in Afghanistan
All that opium doesn’t make it out of the country either. Opium use is also rampant in Afghanistan. In 2008 there were an estimated 1.5 million opium addicts in the country, up from 900,000 in 2005, according to CNN.com. It’s not uncommon for someone to be battling a $4-a-day opium habit in this country where the average daily wage is $2.
Opiate Addiction Treatment
If you or someone you love is battling an addiction, call La Paloma at our toll-free number. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.
