Opium production in Myanmar has fallen for the first time since a military coup in 2021, the UN said Thursday, but the country remains the world's biggest producer of the narcotic.

The stalks fly in the air, as does the sap from the poppy bulb, releasing the distinctive, pungent smell of opium in its most raw form. Within a matter of minutes, Abdul and a dozen other men raze ...

Despite a slight decrease in opium production, the UNODC warned that the conditions were in place for its continued expansion ...

The poppy flower (Papaver rhoeas) is an enduring symbol of remembrance and hope, particularly in recognition of the Armed ...

A conundrum still looms for the poppy farmer: Opium is haram, or forbidden by Islam ... The seeds—black mung beans, red radishes, alfalfa, watermelon, corn—will be sold to a thousand farmers ...

The Taliban claims opium poppy cultivation was stopped and the flow of illegal drugs halted when it was last in power in Afghanistan. But although there was a sharp drop in 2001 - when it was last ...

The ban on growing opium poppy has had devastating consequences for Afghanistan's rural population. The Taliban have yet to offer alternatives, and calls for international aid are growing louder.

4. The first British poppy crop was destroyed by hares In the 19th Century, British horticulturalists who were incentivised by the booming opium trade attempted to establish an opium poppy crop in ...