Watchdog: Afghan poppy cultivation surging, after US spent $7.6B on anti-drug campaign

In this April 17, 2014 photo, an Afghan man works on a poppy field in Jalalabad province. (Reuters)

Cultivation of the illegal poppy plant in Afghanistan has reached an “all-time high” following a $7.6 billion counternarcotics campaign paid for by the United States, according to government oversight investigators.

Despite the spending to combat growth of the poppy plant, which is used to make drugs such as opium and heroin, cultivation has reached an “all-time high,” especially in places once declared “poppy free,” according to new report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR).

“After a decade of reconstruction and over $7 billion in counternarcotics efforts, poppy cultivation levels are at an all-time high,” SIGAR concluded in its report released Wednesday.

The findings have caused concern about the effectiveness of the United States’ efforts to stymie poppy production, SIGAR concluded.

Levels of poppy farming have not been this high since 2007, according to SIGAR.

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