Another Failed Drug War: Poppy Eradication in Afghanistan

Decades of conflict in Afghanistan have left the country’s economy in shambles. During its two-decade occupation, the United States’ approach to combating drugs in Afghanistan was to eradicate crops and criminalize the cultivators. This approach ignored the lack of economic alternatives that drove many farmers to plant poppy crops, and it did little to help those addicted to opium. Made in 2011, this short film takes an on-the-ground look at the issue of opium production in Afghanistan, interviewing Afghan women who overcame addiction but who speak to the economic realities that contribute to the persistence of the drug trade. Their words shed light on life during the US occupation and how economic instability helped allow the Taliban to gain control of Afghanistan once again.

The film is also available on Vimeo.