I imagine Taliban influence ebbed and waned in various regions throughout Afghanistan in the years preceding official US withdrawal. This could have impacted the supply. There's also the possibility of fake cases being scattered around geographically to obscure the hotspots of actual incidents. Unless there is empirical data on Afghan opium production and exports (I doubt it) it would be hard to cross-reference those timelines.
The theory is a longshot (mostly because I don't think they'd be able to keep such widespread heroin use among high ranking state officials under wraps), but it is still thought provoking.
If you have money or easy access to a supply then a heroin addiction could easily be kept under wraps. Someone with a solid habit is barely affected by a non massive dose and are usually just doing it to stay well and stage off withdrawal. Most issues with heroin come from people trying to get the money together to get a fix and what they'll do for it and that it's a street drug peddled by non doctors so purity and strength is inconsistent.
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I imagine Taliban influence ebbed and waned in various regions throughout Afghanistan in the years preceding official US withdrawal. This could have impacted the supply. There's also the possibility of fake cases being scattered around geographically to obscure the hotspots of actual incidents. Unless there is empirical data on Afghan opium production and exports (I doubt it) it would be hard to cross-reference those timelines.
The theory is a longshot (mostly because I don't think they'd be able to keep such widespread heroin use among high ranking state officials under wraps), but it is still thought provoking.
If you have money or easy access to a supply then a heroin addiction could easily be kept under wraps. Someone with a solid habit is barely affected by a non massive dose and are usually just doing it to stay well and stage off withdrawal. Most issues with heroin come from people trying to get the money together to get a fix and what they'll do for it and that it's a street drug peddled by non doctors so purity and strength is inconsistent.
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It started a few years after the height of the heroin epidemic