Europe faces ‘disastrous consequences’ after Taliban ban (banned in Russia) poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, reports Policy.
Experts fear that the European heroin market may soon face shortages and fill the gap with “something much more serious”.
“The possible shortage of poppy seeds could make the production of synthetic opioids such as fentanyl more profitable for criminals to sell to desperate addicts who have been denied heroin use,” the article says.
Politico states that the Taliban’s decision to ban poppy cultivation in the country could pose a serious threat to public health because synthetic opioids to replace natural heroin are much more potent than heroin. For example, fentanyl takes tens of thousands of lives each year in the United States. More than 58,000 people died in the United States from an overdose of fentanyl in 2020, and by 2022 the number of deaths from synthetic opioids in the country rose to 68,000.
Almost all of the heroin consumed in Europe comes from Afghanistan. The Taliban’s ban on poppy cultivation will take effect in the coming weeks. Taliban introduced The related ban was returned in April last year.