US Troops High on Afghan Heroin

Boredom, frustration drive soldiers to cheap, ubiquitous drug
By Heather McPherson,  Newser User
Posted Aug 7, 2007 11:15 AM CDT
US Troops High on Afghan Heroin
An Afghan National Army soldier is seen destroying the opium poppies in a field, during a poppy eradication campaign in Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, April. 2, 2007. Afghanistan is the top producer of heroin in the world. (AP Photo/Rahamt Gul)   (Associated Press)

Bored US soldiers have easy access to heroin in poppy-rich Afghanistan, and few fear punishment if they're caught using it, Salon reports. Filmmaker Shaun McCanna says he was able to score heroin easily on over a dozen occasions during his two trips to the war-torn country.

Bazaar shops are lined with bulletproof vests, helmets, and knives—military goods that are evidence of trades from soldiers seeking items like liquor, Viagra, and the omnipresent opiate. Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome is often blamed for heroin’s heavy use among soldiers, but many addicts said in-country boredom and frustration with military operations triggered their drug use. (More Afghanistan stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X