Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: In this letter, we would like to point out a threatening public health problem and its connection with socio-political processes to the professional public.According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), opium cultivation in Afghanistan decreased by 95% in 2023 compared to the previous year after the country's de facto authorities imposed a ban on the production, trade, and usage of all drugs on April 3, 2022, including synthetic and semi-synthetic (1). Figure 1 shows the trend of poppy area and opium production annually from 1985 to 2023 (1).According to UNODC data, the area under poppy cultivation plummeted from 233,000 hectares in 2022 to a mere 10,800 hectares in 2023 (1).Notably, the majority of land once dedicated to poppy cultivation is now being utilized for less profitable crops like wheat (1).Most of the remaining poppy fields are located in the province of Kandahar (1).The initial impact of this ban suggests that it could potentially be regarded as one of the most successful anti-drug efforts in modern history.In his book published by Harvard University Press, Pierre-Arnaud Chouv explained in detail the genesis of the growth of opium production in areas under the rule of the anti-Soviet Mujahideen
Source: SANAMED
Authors: Aleksandar Medarević, Kristina Đorđić
Institution: Institute of Public Health of Serbia
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $161
OpenAlex ID: W4392397779