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Iranian official claims opium production in Afghanistan has not declined
Eskandar Momeni, Secretary General of Iran’s Drug Control Headquarters, claimed on Monday that there has been no change in the production of narcotics in Afghanistan.
“Not only are we not witnessing a decrease in the production of traditional drugs in Afghanistan, but the production of synthetic drugs in this country is increasing,” Momeni said at a meeting of the Counter-Narcotics Coordination Council, IRNA reported.
“We don’t have evidence to show that the amount of drug production has decreased in this eastern neighbor, and therefore addiction prevention should be prioritized in all programs of this headquarters,” the official added.
Momeni announced that according to research conducted by one of Iran’s universities, the growth of drug use and addiction has stopped in the country.
These remarks come after officials of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) have repeatedly said that poppy cultivation in Afghanistan has been reduced to zero.
The United Nations has also reported that poppy cultivation in Afghanistan decreased by 95% in 2023.