Taliban Issues Nationwide Ban on Cannabis Cultivation in Afghanistan

DID Press: Taliban leadership has issued a new decree banning the cultivation of cannabis plants, commonly known as “bhang,” across Afghanistan.

Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s supreme leader, announced the nationwide prohibition, warning that any fields found growing cannabis will be destroyed and those responsible will face arrest.

The directive aims to curb the spread of narcotics in the country and mitigate the social harms associated with drug use. Afghanistan’s Ministry of Interior and security agencies have been tasked with enforcing the decree and referring offenders to the courts.

Despite previous efforts to reduce drug production, reports indicate that the manufacture and trafficking of synthetic drugs, including methamphetamine, have increased in Afghanistan. This follows a similar Taliban directive in 2022 that prohibited opium cultivation, yet production and trafficking of industrial narcotics have reportedly surged.

International stakeholders, including the United States and Russia, have expressed concern over Afghanistan’s ongoing role in the global drug trade. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has noted that while the area under cultivation for narcotics may have decreased, Afghanistan’s drug production and trafficking situation remains complex and alarming.