Illegal drugs use in Afghanistan

A report analysing the usage of opium among the men population and recommendations for further expansion

Name: Nguyen Thien LanStudent number: 9923218Class number: H71310ADate: 6/12/2013Class teachers: Jennifer Rockman

Ian Stuckey

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Contents

1 Abstract....................................................................................................................................3

2 Introduction.............................................................................................................................3

2.1 Background information on drugs situation in Afghanistan..............................................4

2.2 Opium usage among the men population.........................................................................6

2.3 Purpose.............................................................................................................................9

3 Findings....................................................................................................................................9

3.1 Lack of knowledge.............................................................................................................9

3.2 Low-cost price and widespread availability.......................................................................9

3.3 Family influence..............................................................................................................10

4 Conclusion..............................................................................................................................11

5 Recommendations.................................................................................................................11

5.1 Lack of knowledge...........................................................................................................11

5.2 Low-cost price and widespread availability.....................................................................12

5.3 Family influence..............................................................................................................13

6 References.............................................................................................................................13

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1 Abstract

This report was commissioned by Afghanistan’s Heath Department to analyse drugs use

issue in Afghanistan. It shows that Afghanistan has high drug use rates and there is a massive

increase in opium plants due to its multibillion-dollar business. Illicit drugs use has been a

serious problem in Afghanistan especially for opium usage among the men population. These

report’s findings present 3 significant causes of the rise in male’s opium usage: lack of

knowledge, low-cost price, widespread availability and family influence. To address these big

problems, this report suggests several solutions in order to improve the situation such as raising

public awareness campaigns and producing awareness-raising materials. Additionally, this

report also suggest some recommendations such as cooperating with the Ministry of

Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock of Afghanistan, cooperating with Afghanistan’s government

and non-profit organization or non-governmental organization, developing drug prevention

programs and school-based awareness programs, therefore, Afghans can gain a better

understanding about opium usage.

2 Introduction

Illegal drugs are drugs that have been controlled by the government and cannot be bought

at any drugstore nor prescribed by doctors. Furthermore, illegal drugs contain psychoactive

substances that can have negative effects on the users’ health while overdose can even lead to

death. Individually, a drug user also faces various physical, emotional, mental and social

problems. Moreover, UNODC’s survey for drug use in 2009 states that long-term usage also

creates addiction, violence, and disruption in social order, thefts and other major problems due

to drug use in the society as a whole. Furthermore, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and

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other blood-borne diseases might occur as a result of trading sex for drugs as well as injecting

drugs.

2.1 Background information on drugs situation in Afghanistan

Figure 1. Adapted from UNODC 2005

Afghanistan is a desperately poor country and the spread of opium poppy is tremendous. Figure

1 indicates that there is a huge amount of drug users throughout Afghanistan and it is creating a

major problem especially in the north. Furthermore, illegal drugs have affected almost one

million Afghans (UNODC 2009).

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Figure 2. Adapted from: UNODC 2005

Figure 2 shows that the amount of opium users has increased dramatically across the country,

notably in the north. According to UNODC’s world drug report 2013, Afghanistan is a leading

global producer of opium, which produced 74% of illegal opium globally in 2012 and is widely

affected by drug abuse.

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2.2 Opium usage among the men population

Figure 3. Adapted from: UNODC 2005

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Figure 4. Adapted from: UNODC 2005

Both figure 3 and figure 4 adapted from UNODC’s survey in 2005 were based on a total

of 1480 key informants and 1393 drug users. According to UNODC (2005), key informants are

people who have a lot of knowledge about drug use in their society. Each key informant or drug

user was asked to give an estimate of each demographic for opium and heroin usage (UNODC

2005). The survey in 2005 from UNODC shows that men use opium more than heroin and the

number of male opium users is higher than female. Moreover, UNODC (2009) states that the

number of opium users in Afghanistan has increased greatly from 150,000 to 230,000 (53%) and

estimated 1.9% among the Afghans adult population use opium. Furthermore, UNODC (2009)

declares that opium is the common drug type among men.

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Figure 5. Adapted from: UNODC 2005

According to UNODC’s world drug report (2010), most of drug users are men because

Afghanistan’s community has higher stigma for women who use drugs. Figure 5 shows that the

number of men opium users is much more than women in both urban and rural area. In

addition, the UNODC’s survey (2009) shows that numerous of male drug users felt addicted to

the substances and were three times more addicted compared with women. For instance, Kabul

is the largest city in Afghanistan, which has the number of addicted-male rise up to 9.9% of

Kabul population, far more than women, which accounts for 3.7% based on Afghanistan

National Urban Drug Use Survey (2012).

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2.3 Purpose

This report was commissioned by Afghanistan’s Health Department to analyse issues arising

from this recent illegal drug problems about opium among the men population. It presents an

analysis of this situation and several recommendations.

3 Findings

3.1 Lack of knowledge

Afghans traditionally use opium as a self-treatment to cure illness and health problems

such as pain and ache (UNODC 2010). Moreover, opium used widely as a kind of self-medication

to escape the reality among many Afghans (UNODC 2009). Most of Afghans live in poverty and

receive low education or none education at all. Because Afghanistan is a poor country and their

education is limited, people do not have adequate awareness about opium, hence they take it

as a kind of medicine for centuries without knowing the risk of it.

3.2 Low-cost price and widespread availability

Since low-cost price of opium is almost everywhere in Afghanistan, the number of opium

users in Afghanistan was estimated to be 230,000 (UNODC 2012). One of the reasons why

opium is cheap in Afghanistan is because people grow it widely with extremely unlimited

quantities due to its high profit. Furthermore, gross profit made from opium cultivation is ten

times higher than from wheat (UNODC 2005). Wheat is a lower production cost while opium is a

cash crop, which has an economic importance in Afghanistan (Figure 6). Additionally, the

amount of income from opium-growing families get in Afghanistan is higher compared to

families who do not grow opium (UNODC 2012). Hence, according to UNODC’s report (2013),

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the amount of land spending for opium poppy cultivation in 2013 increases 36% over 2012 and

opium production increases 49% compared to 2012.

Figure 6. Reproduced from: UNODC 2012

Massive quantity of opium makes it becomes cheaper than ever before. Thus, drug users in

opium-growing region spend less money to buy drugs because they have easy access to cheap

drugs due to its popularity (UNODC 2012).

3.3 Family influence

Alarmingly, UNODC’s statistics (2010) reveals that 50% of drug users give opium to their

family members. UNODC’s interview among the drug users in 2009 shows that they have at least

another family member who use opium regularly and 40% of drug users are influenced by their

adults, whereas the number of drug users who have younger family members are using opium

regularly accounts for one third.

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4 Conclusion

The most significant issue facing Afghanistan is the amount of men who are addicted to

opium is dramatically growing as a result from lack of knowledge and education, low-cost price

and widespread availability of opium in Afghanistan as well as family influence. These serious

problems might damage Afghanistan’s reputation and make Afghans struggle with the national

tragedy.

5 Recommendations

To address this serious situation, Afghanistan’s Health Department should:

5.1 Lack of knowledge

Develop public awareness campaigns and programs to create a massive impact. To support

these programs, Afghanistan’s Health Department can recruit volunteers to make the

programs more effective. Furthermore, the programs can help to raise consciousness about

drug addiction and its harms (UNODC 2010), therefore, Afghans can understand about the

danger in which opium creates.

Produce awareness-raising materials on drug-use problems along with overdose, HIV/AIDS

as well as other diseases (UNODC 2010). This could help people to improve their knowledge

about the harm of using opium.

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5.2 Low-cost price and widespread availability

Figure 7. Reproduced from: MCN 2012

Instead of growing illicit crops such as opium, growing legal crops that has higher price of

income is possibly a better alternative solution. For instance, the income made from saffron

products is four times higher compared to the opium poppy products per hectare (MCN

2012). Afghanistan’s Health Department should corporate with the Ministry of Agriculture,

Irrigation and Livestock of Afghanistan to demonstrate to farmers through weekly events

and programs about the advantages of growing legal crops such as saffron and corm to

reduce the amount of opium plants.

Corporate with Afghanistan’s government to give a monthly subsidy to farmers who grow

licit crops therefore, they are less likely to grow illicit crops.

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5.3 Family influence

Develop drug prevention programs and school-based awareness programs to make a

significant impact and teach them how to live a better life. Furthermore, Afghanistan’s

health department could provide more information about drug prevention on the news or

TV channels so people can avoid it in the first place.

Corporate with some non-profit organizations (NPOs) or non-governmental organizations

(NGOs) to make drug prevention programs more affective. Additionally, NPOs and NGOs can

raise money donations effectively to promote these campaigns and programs.

6 References

Ministry of Counter Narcotics (MCN) 2013, Afghanistan Drug Report 2012 – Executive summary and policy implications, MCN.

Ministry of Counter Narcotics (MCN) 2013, ‘Farmers gross income (USD) per hectare by crop – 2009 -2012 prices’, graph, Afghanistan Drug Report 2012 – Executive summary and policy implications, MCN, p.62.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 2009, Drug use in Afghanistan: 2009 survey – executive summary, UNODC.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 2013, World Drug Report 2013, UNODC.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 2005, table 2a, Afghanistan drug use survey 2005 – executive summary, UNODC, p.6.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 2005, table 5, Afghanistan drug use survey 2005 – executive summary, UNODC, p.16.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 2005, Afghanistan drug use survey 2005 – executive summary, UNODC.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 2005, table 2b, Afghanistan drug use survey 2005 – executive summary, UNODC, p.6.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 2010, World drug report 2010, UNODC.

United States Department of State and Bureau of International Narcotic and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) 2012, Afghanistan National Urban Drug Use Survey (ANUDUS) 2012.

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United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 2010, Around 1 million Afghans suffer from drug addiction, UNODC reports, UNODC, viewed 25 November 2013, <http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/2010/June/around-one-million-afghans-suffer-from-drug-addiction-unodc-survey-shows.html>

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 2005, ‘Afghanistan: Estimated drug users by zone’, map, Afghanistan drug use survey 2005 – executive summary, UNODC, p.4.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 2005, ‘Afghanistan: Estimated number of opium users by zone’, map, Afghanistan drug use survey 2005 – executive summary, UNODC, p.8.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 2012, Afghanistan opium survey 2012, UNODC.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 2005, Afghanistan opium survey 2005, UNODC.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 2013, Afghanistan opium survey 2013 – Summary findings, UNODC.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 2013, ‘Gross income per hectare from opium and wheat, 2003-2012 (US dollars per hectare)’, graph, Afghanistan opium survey 2012, UNODC, p.63.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 2010, Concept note – Reducing Drug Demand and HIV in Afghanistan, UNODC.

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