Nowadays the purple flowers of poppy have embellished the desert of southern Afghanistan more beautifully than its brown sherbet does, which has given twists to the policy towards opium. Poppy has affected the regional and international trades and policy seriously. A large number of countries, institutions, individuals and Mafia bands have been involved in the issue of poppy. Poppy manages the bulk of decades of wars in which policy and economy have been tangibly intertwined.
There are streams of blood and horrific destructions behind the view of purple flowers. Millions of people have been filled with nonstop tragedies and horror. Burning, purple bullets of poppy target human emotions every day and inflict indescribable pain and sufferings upon scores of people. In addition to the shelling of purple bullets taking place in the arenas of war and economy, its bitter sherbet pushes countless of individuals to the ugly quagmire of addiction and results in their dishonor, homelessness and lack of identity. Of course, behind this mesmerizing and attractive view, men’s world of delight, pleasure and love die silently and individuals’ fresh figures weaken and fall down.
The second aspect behind the purple flowers of poppy is political hurdles that has posed threat to this fertile land. The serious slogans of counternarcotic – which includes its cultivation and smuggling – on the one hand, and increase in poppy’s production and its gross value to billions of dollars on the other hand, has compounded the political hurdles – this fact was followed by the arrival of international forces in Afghanistan and deployment of British forces in Helmand. The purple flowers and plants did not wither despite the fact that Afghan government campaigned against drug through establishing Counternarcotic Ministry, Counternarcotic Department in the Ministry of Interior and Justice Court for a serious fight against drugs and spent billions of dollars in this respect.
It is more likely that there is no strong and serious determination regarding campaign against this phenomenon. More than a decade campaign against a natural phenomenon is considered a long period. This purple plant was expected to wither or end during this period of time. However, the plant not only did not stop growing but developed more than ever before with the passing of each year and still manages the bands and Mafia’s war and trade. No policy has been implemented seriously to eliminate this sinister phenomenon and the agenda for fighting poppy has been proved abortive.    
It seems that changing mentalities will be one of the most significant solutions so as to put an end to this problem. The counternarcotic planners and policy-makers need to view this sinister phenomenon through the lens of humanity rather than policy and trade. The epidemic of addiction is an ugly fact which damages the dignity and esteem of mankind before than anything else and inflicts painful anguish and endless pains on groups of women, children and families.
Imagine the fact when mothers see their children in the dirty and polluted quagmire and the children observe their fathers in the depressed state of addiction. The story continues as women meet their husbands in hovels and families exchange looks next to opium fireplaces. Indeed, their human dignity and self-esteem will turn to ashes before the opium burns and the gushes of shame will squeeze their throats before the dark smoke of the opium. Hence, the mentalities should be redirected to this aspect. One will be hopeful for a positive result if they view this fact from the human lens. The heads of purple trades and policy will have to focus their attention on this aspect and seek to revive humanity.
Based on a recent report released by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction's (SIGAR), opium production increased 43 percent in 2016 despite an $8.5 billion USD counternarcotic campaign investment by US agencies. The main reason behind this increase is said to be “deteriorating security conditions, a lack of political will and the Afghan Ministry of Counter Narcotics' ineffective management all contributed to the paltry eradication results in 2016.” It added that poppy “cultivation remained near historically high levels compared with the past several decades.”
The addiction to purple flowers is a matter of public concerns and a stain on the country and officials. This sinister phenomenon does not only harden the families but also the face of this country since groups of citizens are slithering in this overwhelming grief. A serious strategy is to be adopted in order to put an end to this sinister phenomenon and a widespread military, educational and human campaigns should be launched to prevent from further damage of Afghans’ dignity and honor.