As US draws down, Afghan opium production thrives

MARJAH, Afghanistan (AP) — Pink-and-white poppy blooms stretch toward the horizon in this field in southern Afghanistan as laborers slice open the green bulbs swollen with raw opium, the main ingredient in heroin.

The opium from Marjah, a district in southern Helmand province, likely will make its way to drug addicts in the region and the world. Helmand’s harvest this year is expected to be one of the largest ever, mirroring trends in the rest of Afghanistan.