Afghanistan and the Architecture of Managed Narcotics Power

An analysis of how Afghanistan has recalibrated its narcotics economy through managed scarcity, stockpile leverage, and synthetic drug diversification.

The 2025 Turkish Drug Report reveals that Afghanistan has not exited the global narcotics economy under Taliban rule but has instead transformed it. Through controlled poppy cultivation, exploitation of stockpiles, and rapid expansion into synthetic drugs, Afghanistan continues to shape global drug supply chains, prices, and security outcomes.