Afghanistan still produces up to 70 percent of the world\'s heroin. Poppy cultivation in Afghanistan has had serious implications for the security and economy in the whole region. Now drug abuse is spreading in Afghanistan\'s northern neighbors. The number of domestic consumers of narcotics is rapidly increasing; the drug users are mostly youngsters. Before 9/11, the Taliban field commanders very often were presented in the press also as drug lords, controlling the poppy cultivation and heroin industry. True, by selling drugs, Taliban commanders were replenishing their weaponry, thus reinforcing their influence across Afghanistan, until the eradication of opium was carried out in 2000. However the media used to be biased, presenting the Northern Alliance as but a noble force countering the evil. In reality, the latter also participated in drug trafficking. The evidences to that are many; the narcotics were flowing mainly trough the northern territories of Afghanistan, via the Tajik and Kyrgyz borders; moreover, after the demise of the Taliban, the drug flow has not lessened but has increased. The Tajik information portal www.toptj.com posted a publication about a recently held meeting between students of Tajik universities and officers of the Drug Control and Crime Prevention Agency of the President. The controversial topic was \"the possible legalization of drugs in Tajikistan\". \"Most of drug addicts are people aged 12-25\", the publication says, \"The youth hardly realize all the potential hazard of drugs. Any kind of liberation of narcotics can provoke an unpredictable outbreak of drug abuse\". The issue of legalization of marijuana is becoming \"fashionable\" worldwide. Talks about a possible medicinal use of Indian hemp are held in congresses and parliaments of the U.S., Canada, and a number of European countries. The Tajik students claim it is too early to rise such an issue in their country. It is obvious that Tajikistan serves a transit ground for the dangerous potion flowing to Russia and Europe. \"The \"grass\" used to be a relatively harmless thing, - one NGO employee in the city of Khorog, who prefers to remain anonymous, says, - We smoked it once in a while, even at school. It was cheap and always available. Smoking cannabis is not safe any more. The local pusher-men add tiny portions of \"powder\"; you never know what you have - a natural hashish or a semi-synthetic stuff...\" The same man said vendors at the marketplace sell a mixture of liquor and heroin. They spring liquid heroine with a syringe through the cork. What for? Quite logical - it has become difficult to transfer drugs over to Russia. The \"commodity\" remains unsold. This is the way the dealers expand the domestic market - hooking up regular consumers of alcohol who shortly become addicted. Khorog, the administrative center of Gorno-Badakhshan, is a small, but very spectacular settlement in the Pamiri mountains. Located at the altitude of 2,500 meters, it is separated from Afghanistan by the river Pyanj. In the winter, the river is pretty shallow; one can easily cross it on an inflatable boat. Many of the segments of the 1,400-km Tajik-Afghan border remain porous - mainly because of the logistical problems. Patrolling the border, Russian Federal officers and Tajik soldiers are on alert virtually every night and every day. Tons of drugs are being seized annually. According to UN drug control agencies, the border guards can detain on the average only 5-10 percent of the real volume of drugs being smuggled. The UN estimates \"there are 1.5 million opiate abusers in Eastern Europe, slightly higher than in Western Europe. The largest market for opiates in Eastern Europe is Russia, with a fast-rising population of addicts estimated at 500,000\". The governments in Central Asia are facing serious challenges caused by drug trafficking. While the border guards and customs services seize \"little fish\", big consignments are being shipped \"unseen\" - which should be interpreted this way: corruption has penetrated into the high levels of power. Another threat originating from drug abuse is HIV/AIDS. Up to quite a recent time, data about the HIV/AIDS situation in Tajikistan was scarce. During only one raid in the small cities of Chkalovsk and Kairakum in the northern part of the country, the police and health workers revealed more than ten HIV positive people. All were intravenous drug users. Of course, according to international norms, the raid and the forcible medical examination of the drug users were illegal. UN officials say Tajikistan is a good example of fighting drugs successfully. The UNDCP allocated $2.5 million to help Tajikistan set up a Drug Control Agency, and help Russian border guards counter drug traffickers. But these actions and funds remain insufficient. Serious measures must be undertaken within Afghanistan. Production of opiates is far more profitable than cultivation of wheat, corn or cotton. Now the UN drug-control agency pursues the goal of phasing out poppy cultivation in Afghanistan. The long-term plan includes educational and health programs, facilitating employment outside the agricultural sector. Regrettably, the UN pilot programs aimed at developing alternate crops in the mid 1990-s proved to be ineffective.