Afghanistan in the Era of Fentanyl: Considering Potential Economic and Political Impacts of a Collapse in Demand for Afghanistan's Opiates

Afghanistan is the world's largest producer of illegal opium poppy and is a key source for European and Asian heroin markets. The authors summarize the economic and political roles of opiates in Afghanistan. Given the rise and dominance of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids displacing heroin in major drug markets in the Americas, the authors assess what might happen to Afghanistan if demand for its opiates dropped off sharply and permanently.