Global opium and cocaine production is at a record high, United Nations says
Afghanistan and Colombia are responsible for the bulk of the output, and the amount keeps rising, while the opioid epidemic continues to be a major US health threat
The production of opium rose by 65 per cent from 2016 to 2017 to 10,500 tonnes, “the highest estimate recorded by UNODC since it started monitoring global opium production at the start of the 21st century”, a statement said.
Afghanistan accounts for the overwhelming majority with an output of 9,000 tonnes, a rise of 87 per cent over 2016.
“Among the drivers of that increase were political instability, lack of government control and reduced economic opportunities,” the report said.
The resurgence of production in Afghanistan has led to a 37 per cent rise in the area under opium poppy cultivation to almost 420,000 hectares (more than 1 million acres) worldwide, UNODC said, adding that more than three-quarters of this was in Afghanistan itself.