Providing the foundation for the success of an entire programme of Poppy for Medicine projects, the local planning process would be pivotal. Decisions taken during this phase would not only ensure that the medicines produced under Poppy for Medicine projects would meet international export standards, they would also ensure that the implementation of the projects in particular villages is transparent and the implementation process is able to be duplicated elsewhere in the country where integrated counter-narcotics and counter-insurgency projects are needed.

To achieve the best balance between the security, logistical and quality control requirements associated with producing poppy-based medicines in Afghanistan, the planning and implementation of Poppy for Medicine projects must take place at the district level, and include input from district government officials, local powerholders, and other stakeholders. A district-level planning perspective is needed because project modelling indicates that individual Poppy for Medicine projects would be most secure and generate maximum economic impact when implemented in a district-wide project “cluster.” These clusters would consist of a series of 5-10 individual village-based projects, together with a special district-level Poppy for Medicine facility for the manufacture of poppy-based medicines, which would be jointly-owned and operated by the individual village projects.

District-level planning facilitates selection of individual project villages

Whilst the ultimate decision on the exact locations of individual village-based Poppy for Medicine projects would rest with the Afghan government, district-level planning would facilitate the close involvement of district-level governance structures and other local power-holders necessary to selecting any one project village over another. The district-level planning would allow the Afghan government to benefit from the unique insights of a district’s security and economic situation provided by district administrators, local power-holders and other stakeholders, thereby allowing for the implementation of Poppy for Medicine projects within individual villages in which economic development is both most needed, and most likely to be sustainable.

District-level implementation facilitates meeting of international legal requirements

The district-level implementation of Poppy for Medicine projects would also facilitate the meeting of the international legal requirement that poppy licensing schemes be administered by a special government agency. Such an agency has already been established under the 2005 Afghan Counter-Narcotics: the Committee for Drug Regulation. Representatives from this committee could be attached to the existing district governance institutions to coordinate the Afghan government’s administrative oversight and security support for Poppy for Medicine projects.

District-level implementation maximises quality control of medicines produced in Poppy for Medicine projects

As indicated above, Poppy for Medicine projects would need to be implemented in “clusters” of 5-10 individual village-based projects, together with a special district-level Poppy for Medicine transformation factory for the manufacture of poppy-based medicines.

Such a factory would enable the processing of individual project villages’ dried and tested poppy harvests into finished medicines of international export quality, and would provide a secure environment for the sale of each village project’s quantity of finished medicines to the Afghan government. To facilitate government oversight and international development support in controlling the quality of medicine production processes, this district-level Poppy for Medicine transformation factory would be located at the seat of the district government, and jointly managed and operated by representatives from the individual village projects. The management and operation of this transformation factory by representatives from the individual village projects would provide the careful local control necessary to prevent corruption and diversion.