Drug Rehab News: Ray Of Hope In Slowing Afghanistan Opium Trade


by Rod MacTaggart - Date: 2007-08-02 - Word Count: 298 Share This!

Since the defeat of the Taliban government in 2001, Taliban insurgents have regained control of the southern poppy-growing regions. The country's opium trade is back to supplying 92% of the world's opium, along with vast amounts of heroin. Here in America, as elsewhere in the world, the results can be seen in soaring rates of opiate and heroin addiction and a greater need than ever for successful drug rehab programs.

But now there's a ray of hope in what has so far been a rather futile effort to combat Afghanistan's vast opium trade. At a UN meeting in Vienna recently, Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan agreed to work together to help control drug trafficking along their common borders. By strengthening border security, improving communication and intelligence-sharing, and launching joint counter-narcotic operations, the hope is that the flow of illicit drugs to Europe, Asia and beyond can be contained.

The agreement was brokered by the United Nations Office for Drug and Crime (UNODC) at a meeting in Vienna. UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa hailed the meeting as a turning point in the fight against Afghanistan's drug problem.

The three countries agreed to focus not only on trafficking but on all aspects of the drug economy - stopping the diversion and smuggling of precursor chemicals used to make heroin from opium, locating and destroying drug labs, interrupting the laundering of drug money, and tackling the worst problem - the widespread corruption which facilitates the drug business.

No less important, they also called for more attention to saving humanity from the misery and instability created by drug abuse and addiction by improving drug prevention education, treatment facilities and drug rehab. Let's hope that help extends to the U.S. where heroin addiction has ruined the lives of more than 1 million heroin addicts and their families.



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Related Tags: drug rehab, drug addiction, heroin addiction, drug abuse, successful drug rehab program

Rod MacTaggart is a Florida-based freelance writer who contributes articles on health.Contact: info@drugrehabreferral.com Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles

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