Illicit Poppy Growing Again a Problem in Afghanistan

KAREZEQ, Afghanistan (AP) - The bulb of the little pink flower reaches deep into Afghan society, sowing problems with the country's allies, financing gunmen and even bringing addiction to ordinary Afghans.
In Afghanistan, opium is everywhere.

The United Nations says the burgeoning poppy crop produced three-quarters of the world's illicit opium last year, worth $2.3 billion and accounting for half Afghanistan's gross domestic product. Output was 20 times more than in 2001, the last year of rule by the strict Taliban regime. snip

The vast majority of the poppy crop is exported to meet the demand for drugs in the United States, Europe and elsewhere, but some stays at home, feeding a growing addiction problem.

In the slums of western Kabul, devastated by three decades of war, opium addicts gather in bullet-pocked ruins, sheltering in basement rooms littered with used needles and burned matches. They heat opium powder into a liquid and inhale the vapor.

Counselors from the Najat drug rehabilitation center scour Kabul for addicts, offering first-aid and encouragement. Female doctors meet at the homes of women addicts, and dozens of burqua-clad addicts come for checkups.

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