Significant reduction in drug cultivation and production in Herat; arrest of about 1,000 smugglers

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - Herat: Maulvi Hayatullah Rouhani, Director of the Herat Counter-Narcotics Department, stated in this regard: "Last year was a busy year for the Counter-Narcotics Department, and the arrest of the main smugglers played an important role in controlling and reducing drug sales."

 

According to him, the arrest of 1,000 smugglers and preventing the distribution and dissemination of drugs in Herat has resulted in a significant reduction in drug use in addition to reducing sales. Rouhani also noted that over the past year, security forces in various parts of Herat, including the districts of Chisht-e Sharif, Pashtun Zarghun, Adraskan, Injil, and Guzra, have succeeded in identifying and destroying alcohol and glass factories.

 

Despite the successes achieved, addicts in Herat addiction treatment centers have called on the government to focus more on job creation and to pave the way for the complete eradication of addiction in society.

 

Bismillah, one of the people who has been receiving treatment at the 4,000-bed addiction treatment center in Herat for three months, said: “The Islamic Emirate has done us a great service by collecting and giving us a second chance at life, but the main problem in society is unemployment, which drives young people towards addiction.”

 

He believes that as the financial situation of young people improves and more job opportunities are provided, the number of people addicted to drugs in society will decrease.

 

Abdul Malik, another resident of Herat who has been addicted to drugs for 30 years, announced that he has been receiving treatment at a drug rehabilitation center for several months and, despite his advanced age, hopes to return to a normal life. He urged families to pay serious attention to the upbringing of their children, especially teenagers, in order to maintain a healthy society.

 

This is while the Herat Anti-Narcotics Directorate has announced that despite a serious decrease in drug cultivation and the number of addicts, their seriousness in eradicating this phenomenon continues.