Soaring rates of drug addiction in Afghanistan have led one province to adopt an extreme policy: Kick the habit or get kicked out of the region.

Leaders of the area, which is located in the remote eastern region of Ghazni, are taking desperate action to battle the overwhelming increase in young addicts over the past several years. Heroin addicts are being given quitting deadlines after tribal elders decided that the only way to fight the tide of addiction was to begin threatening, punishing and ultimately evicting drug users.

Users receive a warning, followed by a fine. If they ignore these measures, they may have their houses burned down, and they will eventually be evicted from their communities. The measures will also be used against drug dealers and suppliers.

Elder Mohammad Razaq commented: "Heroin addiction among our young people was destroying us. This destruction was getting worse and worse every day and we felt that we had no choice but to deal with it in this way.

"Since the elders made the decision, we have evicted more than 200 addicts from villages in this district. They have all been told that until they give up their addiction, they are not welcome back."

Opium exports currently represent about 25 percent of Afghanistan's annual gross domestic product, or $2.8 billion. Opium is a widely grown crop, which contributes to its easy availability.

In addition, according to a United Nations report, "Conflict, displacement, economic hardship and overflowing opium production have generated widespread drug abuse in Afghanistan."

(Source: www.google.com/hostednews)

Labels: addiction, drugs, heroin, opium