UNDP Assessment Finds Cannabis Most Widely Used Drug Among Men in Afghanistan
A new assessment by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) identifies cannabis as the most widely used and perceived drug among men in Afghanistan, despite a nationwide ban imposed by the Taliban in 2023.
The study, based on interviews with 10,286 respondents aged 15 to 64 across 21 provinces, included 9,279 men and 1,007 women. UNDP noted that results primarily reflect men's experiences due to restrictions on women's mobility and public participation. Among men, 13.6% reported lifetime cannabis use and 4.8% past-year use. Additionally, 46.2% of men identified hashish as the most commonly consumed substance in their communities.
Opium and heroin ranked second for lifetime use at 6.5%, but past-year use dropped to 1.5%. Misuse of pharmaceutical drugs such as sedatives and painkillers was reported by 2.4% of men in the past year, surpassing opium and heroin for recent consumption. Non-pharmaceutical tablets including 'Tablet K' and MDMA showed 3.2% lifetime use and 1.5% past-year use among men.
Among men reporting past-month drug use, half consumed cannabis, followed by alcohol and tobacco at 16.6%, codeine at 13.2%, opium at 10.5%, and Tablet K and methamphetamine each at around 8%. Heroin accounted for 5.4%. Methamphetamine was used most frequently by recent users, averaging 9.3 days in the past 30, followed by cannabis at 8 days.
Cannabis was also the most common first drug for just over half of men reporting past-month use, followed by opium at 18% and codeine at 15%.
Provincial variations were significant: cannabis dominated most regions but tobacco products ranked higher in provinces including Badakhshan, Badghis, Balkh, Daykundi, Ghor, Laghman, Logar, Nimroz and Samangan. Elevated cannabis perceptions appeared in Badghis, Baghlan, Kabul, Kapisa, Kunduz, Logar, Panjsher, Parwan and Takhar. Opium was second nationwide, while methamphetamine stood out in Ghor, Nimroz and Sar-e-Pul, and Tablet K in Kabul (38%), Takhar (24%) and Kunduz (22%).
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