Dear Editor,
Today the country is steeped in drug addicts and poppy production. Since last year, the number of addicts in Afghanistan in general, but western Harat in particular has risen to over 70, 000. Harat addicts mainly include jobless youths most of whom have been deported from Iran and other western countries.
They were addicted to drugs and other addictive things while they were living in Iran and other western countries.
Although there is no poppy cultivation in Harat, we see the number of addicts in the provinces increase day by day. With increase rate of consumers of opium and its derivatives. it is said that the number of regular opium users had increased by 53% while the number of heroin users had risen by 40% in comparison to 2005.
Afghanistan is considered to be the motherland of opium, provides about 90% of the worlds' opium. However, the only medical facility for the treatment of addicts in Harat is 150-bed hospital and we have more than 70,000 addicts in Harat and need many years to treat them.
This is a big challenge from a security and economic point of view. Some of them call on the Afghan Government to help them with their treatment the government must find out solutions to treat them otherwise it will spread throughout the country. Some of the main causes of addiction in Afghanistan are unawareness, poverty, unemployment, and domestic problems.
Regards
Rukai Ali
Kart-e- Parwan, Kabul