聯合國新聞/David Mottershead 前罌粟種植農在阿富汗楠格哈爾省轉種西紅柿。
2023年11月5日
聯合國毒品和犯罪問題辦公室今天發布的一份最新研究簡報顯示，在阿富汗事實當局於2022年4月實施毒品禁令之後，該國的罌粟種植估計暴跌了95%，鴉片經濟的近乎全麵萎縮預計將產生深遠的後果。
毒品和犯罪問題辦公室的研究指出，在阿富汗全國各地，鴉片種植麵積從23.3萬公頃下降到2023年的接近一萬公頃，這導致鴉片供應量從2022年的6200噸減少到2023年的333噸，降幅達95%。
對許多依靠種植鴉片獲得收入的脆弱農村社區而言，這種急劇的減少產生了直接的人道主義後果。農民向貿易商出售種植收成所得從2022年估計的13.6億美元下降到2023年的1.1億美元，降幅超過92%。
產生經濟後果
數據顯示，2023年之前，阿富汗僅阿片劑的出口額就經常超過該國合法出口的商品和服務的總價值。而在2023年，其鴉片經濟總體上萎縮了90%，這預計將在更大範圍內影響阿富汗經濟。
據調查，該國許多農民轉而種植小麥，法拉省、希爾曼德省、坎大哈省和楠格哈爾省的穀物種植總量增加了16萬公頃。雖然小麥種植可能在一定程度上緩解糧食不安全，但這種作物產生的收入比鴉片少得多。2023年，這四個省的農民因轉種小麥而損失了約十億美元的潛在收入。
毒品和犯罪問題辦公室執行主任瓦利（Ghada Waly）認為，對於打擊非法鴉片市場，並消除其在地方和全球層麵造成的損害而言，現在迎來了一個能夠“取得長期成果的真正機會”。但她同時提醒，為了最終取得積極和可持續的結果，需要應對一些重大的後果和風險，這對阿富汗人民來說尤其如此。
投資可持續生計
瓦利強調，當前，阿富汗人民需要緊急的人道主義援助，以滿足他們最緊迫的需求，並緩解收入損失帶來的衝擊，同時拯救生命；而在未來一段時間，阿富汗還迫切需要在可持續生計方麵進行強有力的投資，為阿富汗農民提供遠離鴉片的機會。
聯合國秘書長阿富汗問題特別代表、聯合國阿富汗援助團團長奧通巴耶娃（Roza Otunbayeva）同樣指出，阿富汗近80%的人口依靠農業為生，而且該國已經麵臨嚴重的水資源短缺挑戰。因此，可持續的替代發展努力必須以“抗旱農業活動與有效保護和利用資源”為導向。
防止有害替代品
毒品和犯罪問題辦公室還指出一個問題：在阿富汗以外，雖然海洛因的減少可能會致其販運和使用的降低，但也可能會刺激有害替代品的出現，如芬太尼和其他合成阿片類藥物。
緝毒數據表明，貿易商正在出售過去通過創紀錄的收成所得的鴉片庫存，以應對2023年的短缺，而海洛因的加工量已經減少。但該地區其他毒品，如甲基苯丙胺的販運激增。
研究還指出，盡管阿富汗境內阿片劑的使用率很高，但循證治療的選擇仍然有限。因此，需要將循證治療納入公共衛生措施和援助當中，包括要防止阿片劑成癮者轉而使用可能更為有害的毒品。
Opium cultivation declines by 95 per cent in Afghanistan: UN survey
https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/11/1143232
UNODC
5 November 2023
Opium poppy production in Afghanistan has plummeted since the de facto authorities imposed a drug ban last year, new UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) data reveals.
According to the Afghanistan Opium Survey 2023, released by the agency on Sunday, the supply of opium declined by an estimated 95 per cent, falling from 6,200 tons in 2022 to 333 tons in 2023, corresponding to a fall in the area under cultivation, from 233,000 hectares to just 10,800 hectares over the same period.
The near-total contraction of the opiate economy is expected to have far-reaching consequences, UNODC said, highlighting the urgent need for alternative development support for rural communities to build an opium-free future for the Afghan people.
“This presents a real opportunity to build towards long-term results against the illicit opium market and the damage it causes both locally and globally,” said Ghada Waly, UNODC Executive Director.
“At the same time, there are important consequences and risks that need to be addressed for an outcome that is ultimately positive and sustainable, especially for the people of Afghanistan,” she added.
Humanitarian consequences
The survey noted the sharp reduction has had immediate humanitarian consequences for many vulnerable rural communities who relied on income from cultivating opium.
Farmers’ income from selling the opium harvested in 2023 to traders fell by more than 92 per cent from an estimated $1,360 million for the 2022 harvest to $110 million in 2023, the survey added.
“Today, Afghanistan’s people need urgent humanitarian assistance to meet their most immediate needs, to absorb the shock of lost income and to save lives,” Ms. Waly said, noting that over the coming months, the country will require strong investment in sustainable livelihoods, to provide farmers with opportunities away from opium.
Treatment options limited
UNODC also emphasized that though there are high levels of opiate use within Afghanistan, evidence-based treatment options remain limited.
It called for evidence-based treatment to be integrated in public health measures and assistance, including to prevent people with opiate use disorders turning to potentially even more harmful substances.
Beyond Afghanistan
Beyond Afghanistan, less heroin may lead to reduced trafficking and use, or it could spur the emergence of harmful alternatives, such as fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, UNODC warned.
Data on seizures indicate that traders are selling off their opium inventories from past record harvests to weather the shortfall in 2023, while heroin processing has decreased.
However, trafficking in other drugs, namely methamphetamine, has surged in the region.
