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In April 2022, Afghanistan's de-facto authorities banned all cultivation of opium poppy under strict new laws. Opium is the essential ingredient for manufacturing the street drug heroin, and the class of medical prescription opioids which millions rely on for pain medication worldwide.

Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

One would be hard-pressed to identify a societal ill more insidious and destructive than drug and substance abuse, which erodes not only the core of the individual, but entire communities. Justice, peace, equality, and consciousness are impossible in a drugged, unaware society. Global drug abuse affected a staggering 275 million people worldwide in 2021 while over 36 million people suffered drug use disorders (2021 World Drug Report, UNODC).

Report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security (S/2022/692).