UN drug experts say opium production has leveled off in Myanmar, but instability may trigger a rise

Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — U.N. experts say there has been a slight drop in the production of opium in Myanmar, the world’s biggest source of the illicit drug from which heroin is derived, but warn there are still strong prospects for future expansion of the deadly trade. The Myanmar Opium Survey 2024 issued by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says that after three consecutive years of growth, the area where opium is cultivated fell by 4% and production decreased by 8% due to a decline in opium yield. However, the U.N. agency fears production may not have plateaued yet because of the economic instability due to Myanmar’s civil war.