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Friday, April 3, 2026
TopicOpium

Topic: Opium

Afghanistan is starving—and its farmers are fighting to save the poppy

The world has a shared interest in helping Afghan farmers move on from poppy. But time and again, it has abandoned them and the young Afghans killed by the poisonous harvest to their fate.

Is ‘Ice’ becoming the new ‘chitta’? Hit hard by Taliban’s opium ban, Punjab is breaking bad

Recoveries indicate shift in smuggling of narcotics from India-Pakistan border into state, with smugglers veering more towards pushing 'Ice' or crystal meth than heroin or ‘chitta’.

Indian opium paid for Chinese tea. It pushed wealthy Asia into poverty

In 'Asia after Europe', Sugata Bose explores developments in Asian thought, art, and politics that challenged EuroAmerican dominance.

Afghanistan’s opium cultivation grew by 32% after Taliban takeover last year, finds UN report

The report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime also found that farmers' income from opium sales have tripled to $1.4 billion in 2022, from $425 million in 2021.

Bajaj Healthcare is first private entity to enter highly-regulated opium processing sector 

Although India is one of the few countries that permit opium cultivation, its processing has so far been highly centralised.

Empire of poppies: Why countries think stopping Taliban’s narco-state is not worth the cost

Even as ordinary Afghans are reported to be selling their organs — and their daughters — for food, the Taliban-led opium industry is blossoming.

Opium production in Afghanistan crosses 6,000-ton mark for 5th year, says UN report

Uncertainty after Taliban takeover of Afghanistan pushed up opium prices in August & September 2021. But output is up by 8% and incentives for cultivation have risen, report adds.

Desperate Afghans have found a ‘new treatment’ for coronavirus – opium

Covid-19 is spreading rapidly in Afghanistan, and with no vaccine and scant medical resources people are turning to older remedies in the hopes of beating the pandemic.

India’s opium crop is drying up in lockdown, but the parrots are not complaining

Poppy farmers say opium harvest is drying up due to which their produce is losing weight and this can lead to cancellation of their cultivation licence.

What are opioids — the highly addictive drugs that wreaked havoc in the US

John Kapoor, the Amritsar-born Indian American & founder of pharma company Isys, was sentenced for leading a conspiracy that led to the opioid crisis in the US.

On Camera

Pam Bondi’s firing is good news. Now, US Senate must stand up for DOJ

Bondi’s missteps hastened her exit, but her departure offers a reset. The Senate must not rubber-stamp Trump’s pick and should demand an attorney general committed to DOJ independence.

SEBI proposes return of open market share buybacks to support stocks

Regulator seeks feedback on allowing firms to repurchase shares via exchanges after tax changes, as markets reel from war-led selloff and foreign outflows.

South Korea’s Cheongung-II missile system makes its mark in West Asia war. Here’s why

UAE has been using this defence system, which is similar to America's Patriots, against Iranian missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.

Gulf war exposed India’s fragilities. It’s time for navel-gazing, in the national interest

It’s easy to understand why the government can’t speak the hard truth. When this war ends, as all wars do, India’s interests will lie with both the winner and the loser.