Afghanistan's Opium Challenge: A Decentralized Solution

Abstract

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Afghanistan since 2003 is the largest producer of illicit opium in the world. In 2011, it produced 5,800 metric tons of opium from approximately 131,000 hectors cultivated land - an increase from its lowest production level of 200 metric tons in 2001. The resurgence of opium poppy in Afghanistan seriously undermines the post-2001 progress in rebuilding Afghanistan and contributes to the on-going insurgency. A combination of external, internal, political and economic factors have contributed to this resurgence of the Afghan Opium Industry. These factors, among others, include insecurity, poverty, corruption, lack of agricultural subsidies and lack of alternative livelihoods, unemployment, lawlessness, and poor infrastructure. The Afghan government and its international allies have been fighting the illicit drugs in Afghanistan post-2001. Various policies have been applied but no positive sustainable reduction has been achieved so far. This thesis argues that decentralizing governmental authority over narcotic production and management from the national to sub-national level would be more effective in curbing the illicit opium industry of Afghanistan. Specifically, this research will examine the nature and root causes of the opium poppy cultivation and production, trafficking and consumption, the past and current policies and their implication, and successful cases of decentralized approaches.