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Afghanistan
[Main reason for the war--to keep the supply going, being
92% of Dope Inc's source.]
Afghanistan opium production reaches 6,900 tons
Press TV – October 22, 2009
www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=109291&ionid=351020403
Opium production rate has soared to 6,900 tons in Afghanistan in the past 10
years despite the presence of 100,000 foreign troops in the country for nearly
eight years.
A report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said on Wednesday that Afghanistan
produces 92 percent of the world's opium that has devastating global
consequences.
The UN report also noted that Afghanistan's illegal opium production is worth 65
billion dollars.
The heroin and opium market feeds 15 million addicts, with Europe, Russia and
Iran consuming half the supply, UNODC reported.
The UN office estimated some 15 million people take the drug each year, out of
which 100,000 people die annually, warning that opium use contributes to the
spread of HIV and AIDS.
The report indicated that less than two percent of the opium and heroin is
seized by the local authorities before it leaves Afghanistan.
The Afghanistan-Pakistan border region has turned into the world's largest
free-trade zone in anything and everything that is illicit, from drugs and
weapons to even people and migrants, added the UNODC study.
The report added that Afghanistan has a stockpile of enough opium to supply
global demand for two years underlining the need to locate and destroy these
stocks urgently.
RZS/SS/RE