Poppy legalization banned in Afghanistan

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The committee of counter narcotics which was made by a group of parliament member rejected a part of the law on drugs that was legalizing poppy cultivation for research and medicines purposes.

Both officials of the narcotics ministry and committee rejected the legalization of growing poppy cultivation for healthy purposes in a meeting on Sunday. Mullah Taj Mohammad Mujahid, head of the parliamentary committee on narcotics, said to media, allowing growing of poppies for whatever purposes was against the country's constitution.

A few weeks ago, the Senlis Council also stopped to run there policy on narcotics. The Senlis council was working for licensing opium in Afghanistan but interior minister asked them to stop and close their office.

Abdul Khalil Shirzai, head of the law enforcement section of the ministry of counter narcotics, told, they were supporting decision of the lower house committee.

Earlier, he said they wanted to have some poppies in the country to be used in painkiller medicines and research purposes. Shirazi said: "Now we are agreed to ban poppy cultivation as it is against constitution and the law enforcement agencies are too weak to control its growing for the specific purpose."

The draft banning poppy cultivation has been prepared by ministries of counter narcotics, justice and interior as well as the Supreme Court and Office of the Attorney General. Mujahid said he was discussing the draft law with representatives of the counter narcotics to have a well-prepared version of the law presented to the parliament soon.