Phnom Penh (FN), Jul. 8 – For years, Afghanistan has been the leading cultivator of poppy for heroin in Europe, Africa, and Canada, according to the UNODC's World Drug Report 2024. The Americas have primarily sourced heroin from Mexico and Colombia.

After the Taliban regained power in April 2022, Afghanistan banned poppy cultivation, reducing potential opium production by 95% to 333 tons by 2023. This shift positioned Myanmar as the top opium producer in 2023, with Mexico following. Laos and Colombia contributed smaller amounts to global opium production.

Poppy cultivation has been crucial for Afghan agriculture, rarely dropping below 2,500 tons of opium from 1994 to 2022. While reducing heroin production seems beneficial, Afghan farmers depended on poppy for income, and higher heroin prices have led to more dangerous substances like fentanyl

This article was originally published on Voronoiapp.
=FRESH NEWS