Afghanistan: Opium cultivation up nearly a third, warns UNODC

Opium cultivation in Afghanistan – latest findings and emerging threats, is the first report on the illicit opium trade since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021.

The authorities banned all cultivation of opium poppy and all narcotics under strict new laws, in April 2022.

Opium is the essential ingredient for manufacturing the street drug heroin, and the class of medical prescription opioids which millions rely on for pain…