Afghanistan now also world's top hashish producer
In 2008 the UN already noticed a surge in Afgan hashish production and predicted the country would soon take the world’s top spot for cannabis resin supply.
It is estimated that 10,000 to 24,000 hectares of cannabis are grown in Afghanistan every year worth 39 to 94 million dollars, which is still only 10 to 20 percent of the value of opium production to farmers. However, with law enforcement efforts focused on the eradication of opium poppy fields, the production of hashish is left mostly undisturbed.
Last year, UN’s Antionio Maria Costa admitted that the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on the Afghanistan drug war by the United States have been a waste of money. He believes the solution for both opium and cannabis problems is the same; "By improving security and development in Afghanistan’s drug-producing regions, we can knock out the world’s biggest supplies of both hash and heroin."
