Taliban Announces 5 Million Afghans Became Addicted to Drugs in the Past 20 Years

On Sunday, Abdul Salam Hanafi, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Taliban, announced in a meeting in Kabul that in the past 20 years, 5 million Afghans, including one million women and children, have become addicted to drugs. He emphasized that Afghans have suffered the most due to the cultivation and trafficking of drugs in the country.

Hanafi also stressed the seriousness of the Taliban’s decision to prevent the cultivation of opium poppies and stated that the trafficking and use of any kind of drugs, including opium and methamphetamine, are prohibited in Afghanistan. After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the group, issued a decree banning the buying and selling of drugs in the country, which has led to discontent among local farmers in some areas.

In November last year, the United Nations reported that following the announcement of the ban on drug cultivation, opium poppy cultivation had decreased by 95%. However, the organization also stated that the production of industrial drugs such as methamphetamine has increased in Afghanistan.