Report: Afghan Opium Is Dumped on Market
British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s office warned that opium grown in Afghanistan is being moved more quickly onto the market since the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States.
“We believe that Afghan traders are unloading stock onto the market,” an official in London said on condition of anonymity.
In 2000, Afghanistan produced about 4,000 tons of opium, accounting for about 75% of the world market. Citing Islamic religious principles, the Taliban banned opium in July 2000. Farmers complied, resulting in a 97% drop in opium production. But the United Nations said some stockpiles are still believed to exist.
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