Along with a crackdown on poppy cultivation, the Taliban in Afghanistan are also trying to curtail the harvesting of ephedra and other means of methamphetamine production. Data from UNODC shows that seizures of methamphetamine in Afghanistan have surged in recent years. In 2022, seizure numbers are on the same level for both drugs.
The methamphetamine boom is a result of the economic crisis in Afghanistan that has been made more dire by the Taliban grabbing power in 2021. International sanctions and a general isolation of the country caused the local currency to depreciate, food prices to surge and public sector employment to be cut down, leading to the population seeking alternative means of livelihood.
The ephedra plant only grows at high altitudes, making it possible in parts of Afghanistan to harvest the source of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine directly. However, the UN believes that using per-fabricated ephedrine for methamphetamine production is actually more common in the country.
