For twenty years under U.S. military control, Afghanistan was the world’s largest source of illicit opium. After the U.S. defeat and withdrawal, that system collapsed—fast.
UNODC Report
https://www.unodc.org/documents/crop-monitoring/Afghanistan/Afghanistan_Opium_Survey_2025.pdf
During the U.S./NATO era (2001–2021), opium production flourished, reaching repeated record highs, particularly in the 2010s. By 2022, Afghanistan had over 230,000 hectares of poppy cultivation and produced thousands of tons of opium.
After the Taliban consolidated nationwide control, they imposed a blanket drug ban in 2022 and enforced it in 2023. The result was a ~95% collapse in cultivation and production—levels that have remained extremely low through 2024–2025. The break was immediate and structural: opioid production flourished under foreign military occupation and collapsed once that occupation ended.