Afghanistan ministry of public health announced an increase in drugs addicts was running higher this year than last years. The shocking figures, for which the organs concerned reportedly, have been blamed of failing to have control over or at least offer an exact report on the number in the past. Public Health Minister, Firuzuddin Firuz, in a joint press conference with the US undersecretary of state on the international counter-narcotic affair said the number of drugs addicts has reached to three million in 2014, a high increase compared with one million six hundred thousand in 2012. Expressing concern over the growing addiction, the minister said some one million of the addicts were children. According to him, insecurity, unemployment and poverty were from the main factors behind the enlarging addiction in the country, blaming the government and the international community of their failure to do more in reduction of drugs addiction in the country, where he reiterated that insecurity has over shadowed the issue. Despite less possibilities of the government to tackle addiction via treatment, he said the government was making efforts to minimize addiction via lowering drugs’ offer and demand.
“New plan is needed to reduce drugs addiction, Firuz emphasized as according to him, reductions through hospitalization of the addicted people were not a fair policy, though there is a 2,500 bed hospital operational to treat drugs addicted people in the country. US undersecretary of state on international counter-narcotic affairs, William Brownfield also called the increase in the drugs addicts concerning said, “It had changed into a global problem. “He said drugs addicted people, with a considerable number of children, in Afghanistan are using heroin, powder. He pledged the US and its western partners were committed to reduce addiction in the country. He said, “Drugs addiction is a global challenge and the international joint counterdrugs program is needed to tackle,” The authorities of the ministry of counternarcotic have earlier declared that thousands of children are either using drugs or in some extent engaged in poppy plant. The children addicted to drugs are mostly residents of southern provinces of the country, where the fatal plant is eye-catchingly grown. The ministry’s officials gravely expressed concern over the remarkably increase in their number as they believe, poverty, insecurity, and migrations could be the key factors behind the same.
Political experts blame drugs mafia for persuading farmers to poppy cultivation, while they receive higher amount to the wicked products, with the Afghan farmers only suffering the work and obtaining insignificant incomes comparing with their burdensome works. They said if the demand from the international drug mafia reduces, offer inside Afghanistan would also reach low even to nil, as the main vulnerable people are the Afghans, while the users and beneficent are global drugs mafia. Despite the government efforts to uproot thousands of hectares of poppy lands in the country, cultivation and use of the heinous phenomenon are still continuing, with no tangible results unless the international community helps the government in the full eradication. A firm political decision and using Islamic teachings could tackle the problem of drugs production and addiction, as well as inclusive coordination among the organs concerned to put an end to the vicious phenomenon.
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