Afghanistan Times
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By Farhad Naibkhel-KABUL: Afghanistan Drug Report 2015, released on Wednesday revealed that 12.6 percent of adults in Afghanistan are drug addicts.
The Survey has been conducted by the Ministry of Counter Narcotics in a joint venture with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The Minister of Counter Narcotics Slamat Azimi said that 1.9 to 2.4 million (12.9 percent) adults in the country are using drugs.
She said that there are 123 addicts’ rehabilitation centers in Afghanistan, which have the capacity of treating only 10.7 percent of drug users.
She stressed on need for conduct of another survey to find out reasons behind drug addiction. Moreover, she said that number of the rehabilitation centers should be increased across the country, particularly in rural areas.
The survey showed 19 percent drop in poppy cultivation and 48 percent drop in opium production.
The survey showed a decrease in cultivation to 183,000 hectares in 2015, down from 224,000 hectares in 2014.
The survey said that opium production also dropped to 3,300 tons in 2015. The figure was 6,400 tons in 2014.
Better coordination among Counter Narcotics Police (CNP) and other Afghan forces decreased the casualties of CNP five troops from 143 in 2014.
The survey revealed that Helmand province still remained main cultivator of poppy in the country and poppy cultivation was witnessed in Balkh province once again.
UNODC Representative for Afghanistan, Andrey Avetisyansaid, said that the organization was committed to support the Ministry of Counter Narcotics in its fight against drugs in Afghanistan.
