Description

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has conducted annual opium poppy surveys in
Afghanistan since 1994. The most recent one was issued in October 2002. The surveys collect information
on the location and extent of opium cultivation, production and prices. Since Afghanistan was the world’s
largest source of illicit opium in 2002, the surveys are crucial in defining a problem which is manifestly global
and international in dimension.
The present study goes beyond reporting on a single year’s production and value. It examines
Afghanistan’s opium economy in order to understand its dynamics, the reasons for its success, its
beneficiaries and victims, and the problems it has caused domestically and abroad. The purpose of the study
is to assist the country and the international community in fulfilling the objectives of the United Nations
General Assembly Special Session on Drugs (1998), to eliminate illicit drugs.