Up in smoke: opium reigns supreme in Afghanistan

11 September, 2008, 14:15

Cultivating and refining opium is illegal in Afghanistan, yet it is currently the world's largest supplier of opium, producing 93 % of the global opiate market. Decades of civil wars in Afghanistan has diverted attention from social problems such as opium abuse, to more severe issues such as struggling for day to day survival.

When 44-year-old Makai Rachmad's first husband died, her father-in-law put her out on the street and took her five children away from her, including the baby which she was breast-feeding at the time. To cope with her grief, Makai started smoking opium – and still is today.

“The pain I feel in my heart is so great that it could crush a stone,” Makai said. She has never seen her children again and fears that they have been sold for money by her in-laws.

According to the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission opium is the most commonly used drug among women. It is seen as a solution to many problems and the medical and psychological benefits of opium have been handed down from generation to generation since it was introduced to Afghanistan in 1100 A.D.

In Afghan society, where strict social norms are imposed upon their activities, women's opium consumption is overlooked. Illiterate, unemployed and poverty stricken Afghan women spend most of their time inside their houses and they are limited to household activities.

“I steal chickens and sell them at Kabul's Old Bazaar to buy opium or I get opium from women at the water pump close to my house,” Makai said. “Smoking opium is not a taboo in our community. Everybody smokes.”

Many Afghan women lack access to health services and the high illiteracy rate makes it difficult for the Afghan government to maintain a robust public information campaign.

Makai so badly wants to give up her opium habit that she has tried to commit suicide twice. She has swallowed needles and recently took rat poison. “What can I do?” Makai said.

Opium is an illicit drug in most countries. It is highly addictive and the withdrawal produces drug craving, restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps, trembling and other symptoms. It is common for opium addicted individuals who have received treatment to resume opium consumption shortly after rehabilitation.

Lizette Potgieter for RT