No. of Recommendations: 5
Then after we took over.... the heroin business got extremely health, really quickly.
iirc the Taliban had been quite successful in suppressing the drug trade. Then the US took over, and decreed different priorities.
from the net sifter: Opium production since 1995:
Afghanistan’s opium production has undergone drastic shifts since 1995, remaining the global epicenter until a sweeping nationwide ban enacted in April 2022 caused output to plummet by roughly 93%-95%.
Pre-Ban Era (1995 – 2021)
During this period, Afghanistan regularly supplied over 80% of the global illicit opiate market.
1995 – 1999: Production levels regularly fluctuated between 2,200 and 4,600 metric tons as the industry expanded.
2000: The Taliban briefly enforced an opium ban, causing a temporary dip.
2001 – 2021: Following the fall of the Taliban, production rapidly surged. Peak harvest years during this era included 2007 (approx. 8,200 metric tons) and a historic high in 2017 (approx. 9,000 metric tons). Just prior to the 2021 regime change, output remained high at 6,200 metric tons in 2021.
Post-Ban Enforcement (2022 – 2025)
A strict eradication and cultivation ban imposed in April 2022 caused a massive reduction in the drug supply chain.
2022: 6,200 metric tons.
2023: 333 metric tons (a 95% drop from 2022).
2024: 433 metric tons (a 93% decrease compared to 2022).
2025: 296 metric tons
Maybe Mexico and Columbia should take drug trade suppression lessons from the Taliban?
But the western media doesn't talk about the work the Taliban does to suppress this scourge. The Beeb drones one and on about what victims Afghan women are, instead.
Steve
