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ISLAMABAD: When the Afghan Taliban banned opium production in 2023, reducing it by 95%, users switched to cheaper, more dangerous alternatives, according to a UN drug assessment published this month. According to the &ldquo;Afghanistan Drug Use Assessment&rdquo; by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the war-torn country&rsquo;s dramatic opium crackdown has triggered an unintended consequence. While traditional opiate use has plummeted, pharmaceutical and synthetic drug consumption has increased. Lifetime opium and heroin use ranked second among Afghan men, but past-year use dropped to third place, overtaken by pharmaceutical drugs, including sedatives and opioid analgesics. Cannabis remained the most consumed drug across both timeframes. The UNODC report attributed the shift to the de facto authorities&#39; 2023 ban, which reduced opium production from 6,200 tons to just 333 tons. &quot;This is presumably linked to the efforts by authorities to eliminate opium production starting in 2023, which could have reduced supply or access and thus nudged some consumers to substitutes that may still be available,&quot; the assessment stated. Switching to alternatives Provincial drug markets show distinct profiles, according to the survey of approximately 21,000 Afghan men across 21 provinces. Kabul stands out dramatically: 38% of respondents identified &quot;Tablet K&quot; (an illegally manufactured tablet often containing methamphetamine) as among the most-used drugs. This far exceeds the 11% national average. Pregabalin, a pharmaceutical drug, ranked third in Kabul, accounting for 30% of responses. Eastern provinces showed higher perceived use of Tablet K. Meanwhile, western regions reported greater methamphetamine prevalence, suggesting possible regional variations in drug formulations or nomenclature, the UNODC noted. The financial toll is devastating. Men who used methamphetamine in the past month spent an average of 3,994 afghanis ($61.50), equivalent to 138% of a casual laborer&#39;s daily wage. This is based on April 2024 employment data. Per use day, methamphetamine cost 432 afghanis ($6.65), opium 325 afghanis ($5), and cannabis 166 afghanis ($2.56). This burden hits hardest among vulnerable populations. Men reporting past-year drug use showed significantly higher unemployment rates &mdash; 41% versus 28% among non-users. They also reported lower educational attainment: 54% had formal education, compared with 63% in the assessment&#39;s demographic analysis. &quot;Unemployment and weak economy&quot; emerged as the top reason for continued drug use, cited by 13% of past-month users. Health issues, pain and self-medication also accounted for 13% of responses. Men who used drugs were more likely to have diagnosed medical conditions, 43% versus 29%, and to self-medicate, 47% versus 33%. The human cost extends beyond users. Among those reporting past-month use, 85% noted direct health harms, 27% cited problems with family relationships and 18% linked their drug use to poverty. Fieldwork restrictions prevented proper sampling. Women comprised only 9.8% of respondents, leaving female patterns unmeasured. &quot;These limitations have precluded any nationally representative estimates,&quot; the UNODC acknowledged. While the Afghan Taliban may have succeeded in curtailing opium, they have yet to address the demand that drives consumption of dangerous alternatives.

Afghan drug users get their fix near the ruins of historical minarets in the city of Herat. (AFP)

Afghanistan

Lifetime opium and heroin use ranked second among Afghan men, but past-year use dropped to third place, overtaken by pharmaceutical drugs including sedatives and opioid analgesics.

Afghanistan's opium crackdown backfires as users switch to synthetics

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has criticized the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan, accusing it of acting as a proxy for India and allowing cross-border terror attacks in Pakistan. &ldquo;This war of terrorism has been imposed on Pakistan by India, Afghanistan and the TTP working together. The rulers in Kabul, who used to be under our protection and who once hid on our soil, are now sitting in India&rsquo;s lap and conspiring against Pakistan,&rdquo; Asif wrote on X, formerly Twitter. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1979192853122420827&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Flogin%2F&sessionId=a3f53bc647d1e4e740203278c506b98829f51cc6&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 441px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> The minister outlined Pakistan&rsquo;s extensive efforts over the past four years to engage Kabul diplomatically and militarily, which, according to him, have been met with betrayal.&nbsp;These included four visits to Kabul by Pakistan&rsquo;s Foreign Minister, two joint visits by the defense minister and ISI leadership, and five trips each by the Special Envoy on Afghanistan and senior Foreign Office secretaries. Pakistan&rsquo;s National Security Adviser also visited Kabul once, and eight meetings of the Joint Coordination Committee were held.&nbsp;&ldquo;Along the border, 225 flag meetings took place, while Pakistan issued 836 formal protest notes and delivered 13 demarches to the Afghan authorities,&rdquo; he added. Despite these persistent efforts, Asif said, the situation has only worsened.&nbsp;From 2021 to date, Pakistan has suffered 10,347 acts of terrorism, resulting in the martyrdom of 3,844 individuals, including civilians, soldiers, and law enforcement personnel, he noted.&nbsp;Asif said Pakistan&rsquo;s sacrifices were met not with cooperation but with hostility from the very regime that once found refuge on Pakistani soil.&nbsp;He declared that Pakistan can no longer afford to maintain relations with Kabul as it has in the past. Asif emphasized that the country&rsquo;s patience has run out, and there will be no more appeals for peace or high-level visits to Afghanistan. Instead, Pakistan will respond decisively to any acts of terrorism or cross-border infiltration.&nbsp;&ldquo;Wherever the source of terrorism lies, it will now come at a heavy cost,&rdquo; he warned.&nbsp;Khawaja Asif also stated that all Afghans residing in Pakistan will need to return to their homeland. He pointed out that it has now been five years since what the Taliban calls its &ldquo;Islamic revolution,&rdquo; and that Afghanistan must now take responsibility for its citizens.&nbsp;&ldquo;The land and resources of Pakistan belong to its 250 million people,&rdquo; he said, adding that the time for forced hospitality has come to an end.&nbsp;The minister stressed that Pakistan desires peace with its neighbors, but it will not tolerate hostility or foreign-backed terrorism.&nbsp;&ldquo;Self-respecting nations do not live off the land and resources of others,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If Afghanistan wants to be a neighbor, it must act like one.&rdquo;

Security

Outlines Pakistan’s extensive efforts over the past four years to engage Kabul diplomatically and militarily, efforts that, according to him, have been met with betrayal.

Articles tagged with "Afghanistan Taliban"

Afghanistan's opium crackdown backfires as users switch to synthetics

Taliban now acting as India’s proxy, says Khawaja Asif

Articles tagged with "Afghanistan Taliban"

Afghanistan's opium crackdown backfires as users switch to synthetics

Taliban now acting as India’s proxy, says Khawaja Asif​

Taliban now acting as India’s proxy, says Khawaja Asif