U.N. reports Afghan opium production is up again
{{date|February 11, 2005}}
<br>
[[Afghanistan]] is the #1 producer of {{w|opium}} in the world &mdash; responsible for 87% of all illicit opium production &mdash; according to reports from the [[United Nations]] {{w|United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime|Office on Drugs and Crime}} (UNODC), and its opium production has accelerated since the coalition invasion in 2001.

The November 2004 annual reports put out by UNODC show that Afghanistan opium production has been increasing each year since the coalition invasion. The UNODC report for 2004 shows a 64% increase over the previous year in the area of opium production, and a 22% increase in export value for the year({{w|United States dollar|US$}}2.8 billion).

"It could be brought under control with a good dose of law enforcement, which at the moment is lacking," Antonio Maria Costa, executive director of UNODC, said in an interview in 2003 when reports showed an increase in hectares under production of 8% over the previous year. "I believe that the war against terrorism, leaving aside addiction, will not be won unless we control the opium economy of Afghanistan."

Doug Wankel, Counter Narcotics Coordinator at the [[U.S.]] Embassy in {{w|Kabul}}, said the opium industry in Afghanistan is financing terrorism in an interview with USA Today. "It's financing subversive activities. It's financing warlordism. ... And if it's a threat to the government of Afghanistan, it's a direct threat to the national security interests of the United States."

Calling the data "disheartening," UNODC reported that Afghanistan now produces three-fourths of the world's opium. The report estimated revenues from growing and trafficking to be half of Afghanistan's gross domestic product.

== Related news ==

*{{wikinews|title=Report finds Afghanistan is on the verge of becoming a narcotics state|date=March 5, 2005}}

==Sources==

*{{source|url=http://www.unodc.org/pdf/afg/afghanistan_opium_survey_2004.pdf
|title=Afghanistan: Opium Survey 2004
|author=
|pub=United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
|date=Nov. 2004}}
** {{source|url=http://www.unodc.org/pdf/afg/afghanistan_opium_survey_factsheet_04.pdf
|title=Fact Sheet - Afghanistan Opium Survey 2004
|author=
|pub=United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
|date=Nov. 2004}}
*{{source|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3224319.stm |title=Opium 'threatens' Afghan future |author= |pub=BBC News |date=October 29, 2004}}
*{{source|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2218488.stm |title=Afghan opium problem 'serious' |author= |pub=BBC News |date=August 27, 2002}}
*{{source|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/central/10/29/afghan.opium/?Coll=cnn_xml&QuerySubmit=true&Page=1&sites=edition&QueryText=art+harris+u.n.+bumper+opium&query=
|title=Bumper Afghan opium crop, UN warns |author=Art Harris |pub=CNN |date=October 30, 2003}}
* {{source|url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2004-10-26-opium-afghanistan_x.htm
|title=Rise of drug trade threat to Afghanistan's security
|author=Gregg Zoroya and Donna Leinwand
|pub=USA Today
|date=10/28/2004 7:24 AM}}

{{archive}}

[[Category:Afghanistan]]
[[Category:United Nations]]
[[Category:Published]]
[[Category:Crime and law]]
[[Category:Asia]]
[[Category:Drugs]]
[[Category:Health]]
[[Category:Opium]]
[[Category:United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime]]

[[sv:Afganistan leder opiumproduktionen igen, enligt FN]]
Afghanistan is the #1 producer of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime|Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and its opium production has accelerated since the coalition invasion in 2001.

The November 2004 annual reports put out by UNODC show that Afghanistan opium production has been increasing each year since the coalition invasion. The UNODC report for 2004 shows a 64% increase over the previous year in the area of opium production, and a 22% increase in export value for the year(US$2.8 billion).

"It could be brought under control with a good dose of law enforcement, which at the moment is lacking," Antonio Maria Costa, executive director of UNODC, said in an interview in 2003 when reports showed an increase in hectares under production of 8% over the previous year. "I believe that the war against terrorism, leaving aside addiction, will not be won unless we control the opium economy of Afghanistan."

Doug Wankel, Counter Narcotics Coordinator at the U.S. Embassy in , said the opium industry in Afghanistan is financing terrorism in an interview with USA Today. "It's financing subversive activities. It's financing warlordism. ... And if it's a threat to the government of Afghanistan, it's a direct threat to the national security interests of the United States."

Calling the data "disheartening," UNODC reported that Afghanistan now produces three-fourths of the world's opium. The report estimated revenues from growing and trafficking to be half of Afghanistan's gross domestic product.
Afghanistan United Nations Published Crime and law Asia Drugs Health Opium United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime