Afghanistan meth trade surges as Taliban clamps down on heroin – UN

"The surge in methamphetamine trafficking in Afghanistan and the region suggests a significant shift in the illicit drug market and demands our immediate attention," said Ghada Waly, executive director of the U.N. Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The Taliban, which regained power in August 2021, announced a ban the following April on the production of narcotics in Afghanistan, the world's main opium producer.