The report, Afghanistan: Survey of Commercial Cannabis Cultivation and Production 2012, released today in the Afghan capital, Kabul, noted that the main reason for the increase in production despite the decline in cultivation was better yields by the cannabis, locally known as ‘garda,’ compared to the previous year.

The survey, which covered 16 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces where commercial cannabis cultivation had been observed or reported in past surveys, estimated that most of the cannabis cultivation concentrated in the southern provinces of Afghanistan, accounting for some 54 per cent, and, to a lesser extent, in the east and north of the country.

In 2012, the national average of garda yield was 136 kilograms per hectare, an increase of 21 per cent compared to 2011, which experienced a yield of 112 kilograms per hectare. The 2012 yield levels came close to the high experienced in 2009 of 145 kilograms per hectare.

The joint report – prepared by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Ministry and the fourth since 2009 – stated that another reason for the reduction in cultivation was “a strictly enforced ban by provincial authorities,” which was imposed because “cannabis fields seemed to have been used by insurgent groups as hiding places.”

The report also said the reduction in overall cultivation was partly because of a “dramatic decline” in the southern province of Uruzgan which had only about 100 hectares of land under cannabis cultivation in 2012, down from about 1,000 hectares in 2011.

Growing the illicit crop remains lucrative despite a downward correction in prices observed since the peak in 2011. UNODC noted that in 2012, farmers could achieve a gross income of $6,400 per hectare from cannabis resin, exceeding the gross income from opium of $4,600 per hectare.

“This again indicates that a farmer decides on planting licit or illicit crops in a holistic way including as much family needs, food security, access to markets, access to non-farm income, as there is risk. Only an ‘opium farmer’, or a ‘cannabis farmer’ or even a ‘wheat farmer’ simply does not exist,” said UNODC’s Regional Representative, Jean-Luc Lemahieu.

He added that agriculture should be seen as one and measures against illicit crops should be integrated into agricultural policy.

If adopted, the law would be in contravention to the provisions of the international drug control treaties, in particular the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, to which Uruguay is a party.

According to the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), the law would also have serious consequences for the health and welfare of the population and for the prevention of cannabis abuse among the youth.

The INCB urged the Uruguayan authorities to ensure that the country remains fully compliant with international law which limits the use of narcotic drugs, including cannabis, exclusively to medical and scientific purposes.

Based in Vienna, the INCB is an independent and quasi-judicial monitoring body mandated to implement UN international drug control conventions.

“In line with its mandate, INCB has always aimed at maintaining a dialogue with the Government of Uruguay on this issue, including proposing a mission to the country at the highest-level,” the Board said in a news release, calling on the Uruguayan authorities to carefully consider all possible repercussions before taking a decision.

It also expressed regret that the Government refused to receive an INCB mission before the draft law was submitted to Parliament for deliberation.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) also expressed concern over the proposed legislation and said it would continue to follow developments in Uruguay very closely.

UNODC spokesperson David Dadge said international drug control conventions remain the foundation of global efforts to curb elicit drug trafficking and provide prevention and treatment for drug users.

While he acknowledged that there are challenges that need to be addressed, he stressed that dialogue is need on how to stop drug traffickers and protect the health and welfare of people. “But this dialogue should be conducted on the basis of the agreed conventions, in line with international law.”

He noted that next year, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs will hold a high-level review of Member States’ implementation of the Political Declaration and Plan of Action on the world drug problem and said this would be an opportunity for countries to pursue a coherent approach to drug trafficking.