Abdul Waheed grows poppies, which are eventually harvested for their opium. Thanks to his crop, his family can eat for another year. Adbul is not alone; 200,000 families in Afghanistan survive by growing opium, amounting to almost half the world's supply. The Taliban, the world-famous movement founded on religious fanaticism, controls 90% of the land where opium is harvested. The Taliban claims to be as tough on drugs as they on other aspects of society banned by Islam, but the regime takes a hefty 10% from the profits of the opium, and Abdul says the Taliban have made no efforts to stop him from growing poppies. Giving the Taliban financial and ideological power, the opium trade remains one of their biggest contradictions.

Produced by ABC Australia