Background and History of Afghanistan:
The Taliban and Opium Cultivation

Although opium traditionally has been grown in Afghanistan, opium cultivation rapidly spread throughout Afghanistan and became the principal economic activity in that country during the Taliban regime. Afghanistan, became one of the world’s largest producers of opium, with its output reaching up to 75 per cent of all illicit opium worldwide. The vast majority (96%) of the opium-producing land in Afghanistan was under the control of the Taliban. Although, production and use of intoxicants is forbidden in Islam, Taliban allowed farmers to grow poppy instead of cotton and other crops. According to UNDCP, in 1997, Afghanistan’s opium production rose to 28,000 metric tons. In that year alone, Taliban collected at least $US 20 million tax money from the drug trade.

Notwithstanding their promise to ban the production and export of all drugs, as the Taliban expanded their territory they issued an “Islamic sanction” which legalized cultivation and export of poppy. Throughout 1998 and 1999 the Taliban regime collected tax from farmers and opium dealers. During that time, drug money constituted the Taliban’s main source of income and the war economy. Preliminary assessments in Afghanistan indicate that drug abuse among locals, especially among women and war veterans, is sharply on the rise. Mainly, due to the increased availability of opium as well as the ongoing epidemic of mental problems such as depression and anxiety as a result of the long lasting war and human rights catastrophes throughout the country. According to the United Nations International Drug Control Program (UNDCP) the drug trade has created new economic dependencies and formed a small rich class of moneylenders and traders who will make it more difficult for the country to return to normal economic activities.

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