Afghanistan struggles with heroin addiction scourge

[TexasLawyer]

Source: Reuters

Afghanistan struggles with heroin addiction scourge
Mon Oct 15, 2007 5:54am IST

By Hamid Shalizi

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan, the world's biggest heroin producer, is struggling to cope with a drug problem as thousands of Afghans -- trying to cope with the traumas of war, displacement and poverty -- are becoming addicted to narcotics. On the outskirts of Kabul, a sprawling bombed-out building that was once a centre for culture and science is home to over 100 squatters whose main concern is feeding their heroin habit.

<snip>

Afghanistan produced some 8,200 tonnes of opium in 2007, or 93 percent of the world's supply. More land is used to cultivate drugs in Afghanistan than Bolivia, Colombia and Peru combined, the United Nations says.

In the past, opium was smuggled abroad from Afghanistan and then processed into heroin before it hit the streets of Europe, the Indian sub-continent and the Middle East.

But now the problem is coming home.

Read more: http://in.reuters.com/article/health/idINISL2762520071015

[babylonsister]

1. Goddamn it. Our country has surely helped theirs. When is enough enough? nt

[cartach]

2. Right !

Now they're complaining? After all the U.S. has done to promote the trafficking of opium from Afghanistan to Europe,to the U.S. etc.,etc? Ungrateful buggers.Since the U.S. has come on the scene exports of opium have gone up over 30% to a point where they supply the raw material for about 85% of heroin comsumed by the world.That's doing one hell of a lot for their economy,what more do they want? And the U.S. can't possibly do anything to try to curtail the use of heroin within Afghanistan.That might get the war lords angry and we certainly don't want that do we? Anyway it's just another form of collateral damage and we all know how inevitable that is.It happens all the time when the U.S. is involved in anything and is just part of the price you have to pay.

[babylonsister]

3. Welcome to DU! nt