SW News: The latest UN report reveals that almost 4 million people in Afghanistan use drugs and most of the nation’s drug treatment and rehabilitation facilities are finding it difficult to cope with the crisis.

The drug abuse crisis that is devouring the entire Asian country is among the greatest threats facing the capital of Kabul. The report shows that the nation is one of the world's top producers of heroin and methamphetamine with the majority of it being transported outside. Afghanistan supplies almost 80% of the world's opium, making it the top supplier in the world. The usage of drugs is widespread in the nation.

International financing has dried up since the Taliban took power in 2021, leaving underpaid, ill-trained staff to care for patients in many of the health facilities across the nation. The health centers are struggling to cope with the crisis. The little food that is available in these clinics is hardly nourishing. The pharmacy cabinets are literally empty. To make matters worse, there is no one to feed the children.

According to the authorities, residents of health facilities are supposed to complete a 45-day course in which they get medical care and counseling before being subjected to an assessment. This is done to ascertain if they can go back to their relatives. Taliban authorities motivated these undernourished and destitute people to reside there voluntarily after being brought by outreach teams. Conditions outside the treatment centers are just as bleak.

The region's weather extremes make life difficult especially for individuals living on the streets who must endure bitterly cold winters and blistering hot summers, in addition to crushing poverty and constant insecurity. Their pain appears to have no end in sight.

Ashita Mittal, Regional Representative, United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime, Regional Office for Central Asia, said that opium is traded between Afghanistan and various countries in Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa via Central Asia and the northern route. As traffickers continue to develop new methods for smuggling their goods and the popularity of synthetic drugs continues to grow, it is crucial to closely monitor the drug trade in this area.

Mittal said profits drive illicit activities and the biggest gains are made outside of the producing countries like Afghanistan. For instance, a kilo of heroin can exceed $48,000 in London.