Afghanistan: Opium Is Back in Afghanistan

Nov 4, 2026 | Shanthie Mariet D’Souza
Diplomat
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The much-hailed ban on drugs by the Taliban since April 2022 notwithstanding, opium production in Afghanistan is again on the rise. The latest findings of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on opium production in Afghanistan are revealing. The era of Taliban success in controlling and diminishing opium production seems to be over. To the contrary, production has jumped fivefold in a year, with a new growing area away from the traditional southwest.