NCJ Number
202722
Date Published
October 2003
Length
99 pages
Annotation
Using a sampling approach combined with an analysis of satellite images and extensive field work, this 2003 opium survey collected data on the cultivation, production, and prices of opium in Afghanistan, along with the number of opium farmers.
Abstract
The survey found that in 2003 Afghanistan again produced three-fourths of the world's illicit opium. In 2003 the income of Afghan opium farmers and traffickers was about $2.3 billion, an amount that equals half of the legitimate gross domestic product of the country. Sharing in this income are some provincial administrators and military commanders, as well as terrorists. Dependence on this illicit income makes it difficult to dismantle the cultivation and production of opium in the country; however, the preconditions for change are slowly being developed. The recently adopted National Drug Control Strategy, for example, envisions rural development and law enforcement initiatives. Also, the new drug control law aims to counter opium trafficking and money laundering, reduce abuse, and enhance international cooperation. Important progress is also being made in the strengthening of governing capacity, which has an indirect bearing on the drug issue. The country is at a crossroads. If effective interdiction measures are taken now, supported by the international community, the country can be placed on the road to the development of a legitimate economy. Otherwise, the drug cancer in Afghanistan will spread, accompanied by corruption, violence, and narcoterrorism (terrorism funded by drug money). Strong measures must be taken to repress the traffickers, to dismantle the heroin labs, and destroy the terrorists' and warlords' stake in the opium economy. 8 tables