Afghanistan supplies virtually all of the world's illegal opium - and it's a $4 billion business. Getting Afghanistan to rid itself of poppy is a pillar of U.S. policy there, because Taliban insurgents use profits from opium as a source of revenue. For Afghans themselves, however, feelings about poppy are conflicted: it's harmful to their country and to their people, but it is also a livelihood for many where instability offers few alternatives. VOA's Afghan service examines the issue.
Efforts to prosecute those involved in the drug trade are complicated in a country where small family farms depend on the crop, and it is dangerous work to go after even small offenders
More information on Afghanistan and the Opium Trade
