Afghan opium output soars as cultivation hits record high 9000 Tons.. So much for American Tax Dollars and the DEA

KABUL — Afghan opium producers have had a bumper year with output soaring 87 per cent as the area under poppy cultivation hit a record high, the latest annual survey said on Wednesday.


Potential opium production from this year’s harvest is estimated at 9,000 tonnes, up 87 per cent from the 4,800 tons produced last year, boosted by increased cultivation and better yields.
[link to www.jordantimes.com]


America's Opioid Epidemic Is Costing Hundreds of Billions of Dollars


In an analysis to be released Monday, the Council of Economic Advisers says the figure is more than six times larger than the most recent estimate. The council said a 2016 private study estimated that prescription opioid overdoes, abuse and dependence in the U.S. in 2013 cost $78.5 billion. Most of that was attributed to health care and criminal justice spending, along with lost productivity.


[link to time.com]