Afghan Poppy Cultivation at ‘All-Time High’

[DrLeftover]

October 21, 2014 10:00 am

Cultivation of the illegal poppy plant in Afghanistan has reached an “all time high” following a $7.6 billion counternarcotics campaign paid for by the United States, according to government oversight investigators.

Despite the spending to combat growth of the poppy plant, which is used to make drugs such as opium and heroin, cultivation has reached an “all time high,” especially in places once declared “poppy free,” according to new report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR).

“After a decade of reconstruction and over $7 billion in counternarcotics efforts, poppy cultivation levels are at an all-time high,” SIGAR concluded in its report released Wednesday.

The findings have caused concern about the effectiveness of the United States’ efforts to stymie poppy production, SIGAR concluded.

Levels of poppy farming have not been this high since 2007, according to SIGAR.

And “with deteriorating security in many parts of rural Afghanistan and low levels of eradication of poppy fields, further increases in cultivation are likely in 2014,” SIGAR informed the Defense and Justice Departments in a recent alert.

Afghanistan has experienced a 50 percent increase in poppy-related proceeds from 2012 to 2013 as a result of the farming boon, according to the report.

http://freebeacon.com/national-security/afghan-poppy-cultivation-at-all-time-high/