Myanmar, wracked by a brutal civil war, has regained the unenviable title of the world’s biggest producer of opium. In 2023, it produced an estimated 1,080 metric tons of the drug essential for producing heroin. That puts it ahead of Afghanistan, whose production slumped after the Taliban government cracked down on the trade last year, according to a United Nations report released on Tuesday.
Opium poppy cultivation in the Southeast Asian nation rose 33% this year compared with the previous season, the U.N. Office for Drugs and Crime said in its report. It is the highest level since 2001. Poppy production in Afghanistan plunged 95% after the Taliban government banned the crop in April last year.
But in a rare admission earlier this year, the military-backed government acknowledged that its efforts to crush opium production were failing. It also raised concerns about the impact of regional instability on global efforts to fight illegal drugs. The Golden Triangle border region, which links the lawless states of Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand, remains a hotbed for illicit narcotics production.
Myanmar’s rise as the world’s biggest opium producer reflects the deep economic troubles that have plagued the country since its army overthrew the democratically elected government in February 2021. Its growing instability is making farmers in remote areas more likely to turn to opium for their livelihoods, the UNODC’s regional representative Jeremy Douglas said.
The opium-based drug is used to make heroin, which is then smuggled into other countries for use as an illicit recreational and medical drug. The drug can have devastating consequences on the health of users, especially if it is smoked or injected. It can cause a variety of physical and psychological problems, including addiction, respiratory distress, and even death.
A thriving underground economy and the lack of government control in some remote regions also fuelled the boom. The opium is sold in smuggled form to dealers in the cities and then processed into hard drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine.
The soaring opium production in Myanmar is a significant challenge for international efforts to eradicate the drug. Opium is a crucial source of funding for insurgents fighting the government, which has been battling to defeat them in its civil war. But the drug is also a significant problem for neighboring countries, which are struggling to control it. This is particularly true in Laos and Thailand, which are attempting to crack down on the illegal narcotics trade. The three nations have been working together to combat the drug trade, but it’s a difficult task in the face of a robust global market for illegal narcotics such as heroin. Efforts to curb the narcotics trade in both countries have been hampered by poor infrastructure, weak enforcement, and a lack of funds for anti-drug campaigns. As the price of opium and heroin climbs, the region is expected to see more of the drug flowing across the globe into Europe and North America.
