Afghanistan, which could be slipping back into chaos and civil strife, must turn the tables on the opium crisis. It is a structural development and security issue, not just a drug problem per se. Afghanistan should be granted full sovereignty and ownership to solve its predicament but should be able to count on the support of the international community as necessary.

The international community should establish a pilot project and investigate a licensing scheme to license the production of medicines such as morphine and codeine from poppy crops to help it escape the quagmire of economic misery and political instability. There is no time to waste. Tackling the drug economy is central to easing Afghanistan’s ills, and the only remaining alternative is the poppies for peace proposal, using medicinal poppy cultivation as a bridge to sustainable development and lasting security in Afghanistan.

The Washington Quarterly article

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