Afghanistan Opium (Infographic)

Ihsan Magazine - Fighting the war on Afghanistan opium seems almost insurmountable, but the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, UNODC, works hard at finding ways to solve the problem. In 2000, a ban on the Taliban-led Afghanistan, which produced 75% of the world’s opium, yielded a 98% drop in the poppy production. However, when the Taliban lost control in 2001 the opium trade increased. By 2006, Afghanistan generated 94% of the world’s supply.
The living conditions in Afghanistan, plus the lack of border police, created conditions making some easily bribed and others incapable of fighting the traffickers. Money made by the sale of the drugs helps arm those trafficking the opium. Iran, the UNODC, Britain, and the United States have offered incentives in hopes of eradicating, or at least reducing, the Afghanistan opium trade. Part of the campaign includes, educating the Afghan people about the advantages of alternative crops, such as saffron, and showing them how the production of opium contradicts the teachings of Islam. Governors who kept their province free of poppies received development funds, disbursed by international donors.
While the above efforts made an impact, the focus now needs to center on the remaining provinces. As you can see from the infographic below, in 2010 Afghanistan produced 80% of the world’s opium. The Afghanis’ make a lot of money from trafficking, cultivating, and processing the opium. To make the change worthwhile the people would need an equally profitable alternative. Along with an increase in monetary incentives, a decrease in the worldwide consumption of opium and heroin would help tremendously.