United Nations’ early assessment of the 2013 crop found farmers were planning to plant more poppy than last year, marking the third annual rise in the drug’s cultivation. UN officials predict the increase will push this year’s crop close to 2007’s record level and again see Afghanistan responsible for more than 90 per cent of…
‘Blood fountains’ The scene had an almost biblical quality to it. On May 28, the waters of Mexico City’s most famous fountain turned blood-red. It was a surreal sight, but one with a very down-to-earth message: stop Mexico’s drug war. The event was part of a grassroots campaign called “Paremos las balas, pintemos las fuentes”…
The Lost Souls of Kabul: Photographs by James Nachtwey A man injects himself under a bridge near an open sewer in Kabul. While overall production has dropped thanks to aggressive eradication efforts, and a blight that destroyed almost half of last year’s harvest, more Afghans than ever are getting addicted to opiates. We’re used to…