Drugs in Afghanistan: Opium, Outlaws and Scorpion Tales

'Afghanistan is seen as a major drug producer, but its own people are becoming the victims. ... David Macdonald not only explores [the reasons for this] but also tells an addictive tale that is difficult to resist.' Shirazuddin Siddiqi, BBC

Everyone knows that Afghanistan is the centre of the world's heroin trade. Afghanistan's poppy fields produce more heroin than all other countries combined. Most accounts of the drugs trade concentrate on the impact of trafficking on the West. Yet the truth is that drug addiction is also a problem within Afghanistan. This book explores the devastating impact that the drugs trade has had on the Afghan people.

Author David Macdonald has worked as a drugs advisor to the UN and the Ministry of Counter Narcotics in Afghanistan for several years. Based on his extensive experience, this book breaks down the myths surrounding the cultivation, production and consumption of drugs, providing a detailed analysis of the history of drug use within the country. He examines the impact of over 25 years of continuous war and conflict, and shows how continuing poverty and instability has led to an increase in drugs consumption. He considers the recent rise in the use of pharmaceutical drugs, resulting in dangerous chemical cocktails. Macdonald also analyses the effect of Afghanistan's drug trade on neighbouring countries.