The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has issued a new report on the “The Drug Situation in Afghanistan 2021—Latest Findings and Emerging Trends,” which says opium production has increased 8% this year over last year, referring to the harvest which was completed in July, thus under the NATO regime. Nonetheless, the report claims that the main beneficiaries of drug revenues have been the Taliban. (https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/Afghanistan/Afghanistan_brief_Nov_2021.pdf)
This, however, is not consistent with other information contained in the report: “Increased political uncertainty in Afghanistan since August 2021 is driving up opium prices, which almost doubled in August compared to May.” In other words, the perspective of opium scarcity under the Taliban regime drove prices up. This does not make sense if the Taliban are running the drug production, does it? https://www.unodc.org/unodc/frontpage/2021/November/afghan-opiates-supply-8-out-of-10-opiate-users-worldwide—unodc-finds—as-experts-meet-in-vienna-to-combat-illicit-trafficking.html
