This map shows all the areas in Afghanistan where poppy production rose --- The U.S. military is closing in on the end of its long war in Afghanistan, and Washington has spent $7.6 billion trying to reduce the production of poppy, the brilliantly blooming plant whose resin is made into heroin and other opioids. -- The legacy thus far? Poppy cultivation was at an all-time high of 209,000 hectares last year, it grows in numerous parts of the country where it once did not, and U.S. officials blame Afghanistan’s government for failing to stop it. -- Those are the key findings of a new report released Tuesday by the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul said in comments included that the bump is disappointing, but that it is making progress in building Afghan institutions to the point that they can effectively tackle all aspects of the drug trade. -- “There is no silver bullet to eliminate drug cultivation or production in Afghanistan or to address the epidemic of substance abuse disorders that plagues too many Afghans,” Charles Randolph, a program coordinator at the embassy, said in a statement. “We are, however, building capacity to implement and lead counternarcotics efforts.” -- The map above, included in the report, shows areas where poppy production increased between 2012 and 2013. The yellow signifies an increase, and is common throughout the Helmand River Valley in southern Afghanistan and in the northwest part of the country. About half of all poppy production in Afghanistan occurred in Helmand, where thousands of additional U.S. Marines deployed as part of President Obama’s surge of troops ordered in late 2009. --- This chart shows how production has climbed: - Read More, Washingtonpost, http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2014/10/21/this-map-shows-all-the-areas-in-afghanistan-where-poppy-production-rose/