Afghani heroin is said to be the world’s purest form and it could kill more addicts. The supply of the Afghan heroin are increasing in the United States so fast and overtaking Mexican heroin in the US. Now the fears of more addiction and overdoses problems are in the air in the country.
In the year 2005, the heroin-related deaths in Los Angeles County have gone up to 239 from 137 in 2002. It has showed 75% increase of deaths in last three years. The deaths were prevalent among the people of more than 40 after taking an overdose of the strong heroin.
Orange County sheriff’s spokesperson Jim Amormino has said that
the increased supply of heroin from Afghanistan is our biggest threat in the fight against narcotics. We are seeing more seizures and more overdoses.
A Drug Enforcement Administration report, published in The Times, revealed that the poppy fields in Afghanistan have become the fastest-growing source of heroin in the United States.
It has doubled its share in the U.S. market from 7% in 2001 to 14% in 2004. However, another DEA report has said in October that 14% actually might be significantly higher.
After the US invasion in Afghanistan in 2001, the Poppy production has increased significantly and leading farmers turned to the opium market to survive in poor condition of the country’s economy.
On the other hand, a DEA spokesperson, Garrison K. Courtney, has rejected the claim of talking that more heroins were reaching the United States from Afghanistan. The agency has declined to give The Times the report on the doubling of Afghan heroin into the US.
