Al Qaeda and Opium

The terms “Al Qaeda” and “the Taliban” conjure up many images for westerners, but pictures of illegal drugs aren’t usually the first to come to mind. And yet these groups receive financial support from Afghanistan’s prevalent opium crops. In fact, the middle eastern nation 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.

That’s why the U.S. military has taken an interest, sending in troops to curb the opium trade and asking farmers to consider growing crops like wheat instead. They haven’t had much luck stopping the farming of poppies, but the military presence in farming communities has scared away many of the smugglers who carry the opium into neighboring countries.

Further compounding the tragedy is the drug abuse happening with the country’s borders. Opium use is also rampant in Afghanistan, with an estimated 1.5 million opium addicts in the country.

Time alone will tell if current efforts will make a difference in either the international heroin market or for those back in Afghanistan who are addicted.

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