Myanmar: The Opium Bulbs of Myanmar: Drug Crop or Lifeline for Poor Farmers?

Jun 22, 2016 | Paul Vrieze, Guardian
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The trade in opium and its derivative heroin is controlled by many rebel groups and pro-government militias who use it to fund a long-running civil war. The opiates, along with huge amounts of methamphetamine, end up in China and across south-east Asia. While the hardy plant has long been a lifeline for poor farmers, farmer U Bo says he is tired of growing a crop that is taxed by armed groups and corrupt police.