Opium Addiction Affecting Nearly 1 Million Afghans, Including Children (Video)
Afghanistan produces 90 percent of the world's opium, the main ingredient in heroin. According to the United Nations, nearly 1 million Afghans are addicted to drugs, which is 8 percent of the population--double the world average. There aren't many resources for addicts; only one clinic in the country is allowed to dispense methadone, a substitute for heroin that helps addicts get off the drug. The following video captures a typical day on the streets of Kabul and introduces a family whose members--grandmother, mother, her sister, her brother, and her two young children--are all addicted to opium.