Afghanistan Drug Trade
Lauren Graupman
Mr. Kohrt
Global
28 March 2013
Afghanistan Drug Trade
The sound of gunshots fills the empty space right outside the door. People are screaming and loved ones are holding each other, fearing for their lives. This chaos is a direct result of the Afghanistan Drug Trade. Afghanistan is a small country in the Middle East. It is located North of the Arabian Sea, and it borders many countries including Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Tajikistan and India. All of the drug trade in Afghanistan, was the trading of opium, which is substance that comes from poppies. The Taliban was an extremist group that ruled over Afghanistan for five years. The Taliban put the massive opium production on hold, during their rule. The government and many other groups, including the United States are trying to eradicate the opium crop. The whole country was changed because of this plant. Or as Gretchen Peters said, "In the bloody new chapter of the Afghan saga, heroin would play a central role" (Peters 66). The Afghanistan Drug Trade has fueled many years of conflict through the production of most of the world 's opium.
Opium is a substance derived from poppies, which is used to produce a highly addictive narcotic, known as heroin (The Heroin Story). The price of heroin is extremely costly and people pay thousands a year for their addiction. If a person does not satisfy their addiction, they have to go through a painful withdrawal. The symptoms of withdrawal include depression, paranoia, vomiting, weakness, chills, and countless others (The Heroin Story). "Afghanistan produces about 93% of the world 's illegal opium" (On the Attack 4). 93% accounts for 6,100 tons of opium, all illegally smuggled out of the country (The Middle East 59). There is an extremely large market for opium, because of how addictive heroin is. It can be sold for a lot of money, therefore increasing the function of Afghanistan 's economy drastically. While the production and market of
Mr. Kohrt
Global
28 March 2013
Afghanistan Drug Trade
The sound of gunshots fills the empty space right outside the door. People are screaming and loved ones are holding each other, fearing for their lives. This chaos is a direct result of the Afghanistan Drug Trade. Afghanistan is a small country in the Middle East. It is located North of the Arabian Sea, and it borders many countries including Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Tajikistan and India. All of the drug trade in Afghanistan, was the trading of opium, which is substance that comes from poppies. The Taliban was an extremist group that ruled over Afghanistan for five years. The Taliban put the massive opium production on hold, during their rule. The government and many other groups, including the United States are trying to eradicate the opium crop. The whole country was changed because of this plant. Or as Gretchen Peters said, "In the bloody new chapter of the Afghan saga, heroin would play a central role" (Peters 66). The Afghanistan Drug Trade has fueled many years of conflict through the production of most of the world 's opium.
Opium is a substance derived from poppies, which is used to produce a highly addictive narcotic, known as heroin (The Heroin Story). The price of heroin is extremely costly and people pay thousands a year for their addiction. If a person does not satisfy their addiction, they have to go through a painful withdrawal. The symptoms of withdrawal include depression, paranoia, vomiting, weakness, chills, and countless others (The Heroin Story). "Afghanistan produces about 93% of the world 's illegal opium" (On the Attack 4). 93% accounts for 6,100 tons of opium, all illegally smuggled out of the country (The Middle East 59). There is an extremely large market for opium, because of how addictive heroin is. It can be sold for a lot of money, therefore increasing the function of Afghanistan 's economy drastically. While the production and market of
Cited: Corona, Laurel. Afghanistan. San Diego, California: Lucent Books, 2002. Print. "The Heroin Story." NEFA Student Reference Sheet. 1994: n.p. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 17 Mar 2013 The Middle East. New York, New York: Richard Fraiman, 2002. Print. "On the Attack." Current Events (Vol. 107, No. 16). Feb. 4 2008: 4+ SIRS Dicoverer. Web. 03 March 2013 Peters, Gretchen. Seeds of Terror: How Heroin is Bankrolling the Taliban and Al Qaeda. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2009. Print.