Written by Michael Thervil
Prior to the American led invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan following the events of September 11, 2001, Afghanistan led the world in the production of poppy cultivation which was used in the illicit global drug trade. What’s interesting is that the cultivation of poppy plants was virtually unheard of in the southern portion of Afghanistan. The main question is why did the extremely high yield of poppy cultivation in Afghanistan happen in the first place? That question is followed by why wasn’t the U.S. able to effectively combat the cultivation of poppy plants during their invasion? And lastly, why are the Taliban so successful in their efforts to erratic the cultivation of poppy plants today?
One of the reasons why the cultivation of poppy plants really started to boom was because America and the Collective West began their invasion of both Iraq and Afghanistan. It was then that the various militias in the region, resistance fighters, and terrorist organizations decided to take a few pages out of the CIA Handbook as it pertained to utilizing the funds generated from opium production to fund their campaign against America and the Collective West. Another thing that aided in the exponential growth of poppy cultivation was the fact that many farmers in Afghanistan saw the significant increase in profits that other farmers were getting because anti-American organizations were paying good money for them to continue producing and exporting opium so that they could fund their war against America and the Collective West.
During those times, poverty, and the fear of being impoverished unsettled many people in Afghanistan thus, this led to even more people to turn to the cultivation of poppies for financial gain to lift themselves out of poverty or as a secure way to avoid going into poverty in the first place. In short, for many farmers and people in Afghanistan, the cultivation of poppy’s became a necessity. The growth of poppy’s was and still is seen as a low-risk operation that yields high returns. The cultivation of poppies is considered low-risk because they need very little water to bloom in the often drought-stricken location of Afghanistan.
What is known as the “Golden Crescent” of the Middle Eastern drug trade; Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan respectively, it would be since 1979 that this ongoing socio-economic issue has been occurring. But the issue that the countries that make up the Golden Crescent are facing does not come from the production of hard narcotics itself, but rather from the high rate of poverty. And the root cause of the poverty in the region stems mainly from foreign intervention from countries such as Russia (1984) and was further escalated by the U.S. and the Collective West in 2001.
The issue of the illicit drug trade in Afghanistan is a very complex one. We are able to say this because on one hand the Taliban forbade the cultivation and manufacturing of narcotics; but at the same time, it and many other organizations in the region needed the profits yielded from it to fund their organizations by using taxation as one of the main tools to obtain funds to continue their resistance of American and the Collective West. Another way the Taliban and other organizations obtained funds from the Afghanistan drug trade was through providing security for drug traffickers throughout the region. To ensure the safe transport of the loads, security teams and organizations would require anywhere between 20%-25% of the consignment or product being moved. Whether people want to admit it or not, weapons cost money, training cost money and finally, wars cost money. As the old saying goes: “the one with the most money wins”.
As of today, according to the UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) the cultivation of poppies in Afghanistan sharply decreased from 575,755 acres at the end of 2022 to 10,800 in 2023 - which is a 95% drop in cultivation. The culling of poppy fields resulted in the manufacturing of opium in Afghanistan falling from 6,200 tons to 333 tons - with a drop in exported heroin yields from 350-580 tons in 2022, to 24-38 tons this year. The bottom line is, if the people of Afghanistan can’t find a way to significantly boost their economic outcomes - then sourcing, manufacturing, and drug trafficking will continue to be the most effective route to avoid poverty, thus ensuring the future success of the common man in the region.
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