KABUL (SW): The Ministry for Counter Narcotics acknowledged on Saturday that the poppy cultivation in the country has surged by 10 per cent.
Mohammad Hanif, spokesman for the Ministry for Counter Narcotics (MoCN) told a presser in Kabul that besides the traditional areas of poppy cultivation, Badghes; a northern province has fueled much of this year’s surge in poppy cultivation. “The fall in poppy cultivation that we ensured in a number of provinces was influenced by up to 17000 hectors of poppy cultivation in Badghes this year”, he said.
Last year, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said poppy was cultivated on around 201,000 hectares of land across Afghanistan. According to this UN agency, the illicit proceeds of trafficked Afghan opiates amounts to $28 billion.
The MoCN spokesman further said the Ministry has drafted a new law that aims to smartly rehabilitate drug addicts, and curb the illicit sale of drugs in the country. According to the proposed law, addicts willing to rehabilitate would be temporarily provided with the drugs to win their hearts and get them away from the vicious circle.
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