Afghanistan's Billion Dollar Drug War

Afghan authorities are struggling to control the resurgence in poppy farming that feeds the habits of addicts worldwide.



It is the frontline of the war on drugs - and it is a battle authorities are losing.

Afghanistan's poppy fields, which feed the habits of drug addicts worldwide, are thriving, with cultivation of the crop hitting record highs last year.

With NATO troops pulling out and local law enforcement agencies ill-equipped and underfunded, production looks set to increase even further.

The number of Afghan addicts is soaring, and with the Taliban funded by the drug trade, security fears are paramount.

101 East travels to Afghanistan's poppy fields to investigate how Afghan authorities are struggling to control the resurgence in poppy farming, the implications for the global war on drugs, and what the future holds for this fragile nation.