Afghan Deputy Health Minister Abdul Bari Omar confirmed that the number of drug addicts in Afghanistan has reached 3.5 million people, or 9% of the country’s total population of 39 million people.
The local TV channel, Tolo News, quoted the deputy minister as saying: "3.5 million people in the country are addicted to drugs. Each one of them daily takes drugs worth about $3."
According to United Nations (UN) statistics, "In 2020, the area of land used for the illegal cultivation of opium poppy in Afghanistan expanded by 37% compared to the previous year, which is the third-largest indicator ever recorded in the country, as Afghanistan produces 85% of the world's opium, which constitutes 6 to 11% of the country's gross domestic product.
The Afghani ministry pointed out that "the number of drug addicts among adults in Afghanistan at that time reached 2.4 million people."
On the twelfth of last December, the Ministry of Interior in the government of the "Taliban" movement said that it had achieved success in combating drug smuggling.
The ministry said that it has completed the appointments in the structure of administrative bodies and executive units to combat drug trafficking.
The ministry confirmed that these forces, at present, have been able to significantly reduce the volume of buying and selling drugs in all 34 states of the country.
It did not address the cultivation and production of narcotics in Afghanistan, which is one of the largest drug producers and is currently going through a deteriorating economic situation.
It should be noted that the international community constantly urges the "Taliban" movement to fight terrorism and drug trafficking.
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