Afghanistan's Taliban Issues Ban on Opium Poppy Cultivation

The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan has made it illegal to grow poppies, which are used to make opium and other drugs, Gandhara reported.

The de facto authorities issued an edict on April 3 stating that poppy harvests would be burnt and farmers would face Sharia law penalties.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid read the proclamation to a group of media in Kabul.

Other narcotics were also prohibited from being produced, used, or transported under the terms of the decree.

The country produces the most opium poppies in the world, and the annual poppy harvest is under underway. In 2017, the United Nations projected that the crop was worth $1.4 billion to the poor country. According to the group, Afghanistan produced record amounts of opium for the sixth year in a row last year.

Poppy planting was also prohibited by the Taliban near the conclusion of their brief reign in Afghanistan in 2000, although enforcement was low due to political opposition.

During the nearly 20-year battle, the US spent more than $8 billion attempting to eradicate Afghan poppy production, which ended in August 2021 with the US withdrawal and Taliban takeover.

Many Afghans in the country's southern areas have been forced to produce the illegal crop due to the country's terrible economic position.