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Published online 19 September 2007 | Nature 449, 268-269 (2007) | doi:10.1038/449268a
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Opiates for the masses
Afghanistan produces almost all of the world's illegal opiates. Should it eradicate the poppy trade or experiment with legalizing it to make painkillers for the developing world? Katharine Sanderson reports.
During the next few weeks farmers in one of the world's poorest countries will begin sowing seeds for what is expected to become the biggest and most lucrative opium crop yet. Field upon field of beautiful blooms belie a dark legacy that wends a destructive path from the growing fields of Afghanistan to individuals in cities thousands of miles away.
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