Since "operation enduring freedom", the countries opium crop rose from 2% in 2001 (under the Taliban) to 85% in 2007, after the Taliban was overthrown. Afghanistan is the #1 producer of opium in the world, 100% of it illicit (heroin). read more
Although less than 4 percent of arable land in Afghanistan was used for opium poppy cultivation in 2006, revenue from the harvest brought in over $3 billion—more than 35 percent of the country's total gross national product (GNP). read more
"Afghanistan has roughly 500,000 acres, or about 780 square miles, devoted to growing opium poppy. That's equivalent to more than 400,000 U.S. football fields — including the end zones," John Sopko, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, said in a speech in May. read more