Afghanistan. Afghanistan Completes Opium Crackdown

Afghanistan has long been a country rife with opium, an essential ingredient in the popular street drug heroin. During the last several decades, Afghanistan has been the world's leading opium producer, manufacturing over 80% of the global supply and 95% of that of Europe. With an ideal climate and terrain conditions, and because of a historically lawless environment, Afghanistan is suitable for large-scale production of opium. The Afghan government attempted to curtail the cultivation of opium for decades, but the 1979 Soviet invasion shattered these efforts. When the war began, the government was unable to control rural areas populated by Mujahideen fighters who were looking for ways to finance their need for weapons. A structured system for the illicit manufacturing and selling of opium emerged from this, entrenching this practice amongst rural populations. The 1980s saw a dramatic rise in opium production, and, by the end of the decade, Afghanistan was responsible for 35% of the drug on the global market. Lethal conflicts and devastating wars specific to Afghanistan continuously deteriorated the situation in the country as it continued to grow as a global opium producer. (International Relations Review, USA, 13.05.2024)

https://www.irreview.org/articles/2024/5/13/afghanistan-completes-opium-crackdown