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THE WORLD OPIUM SUPPLY
There are two separate markets for opium-the licit and the illicit. According to "The World Opium Survey 1972," published by the Cabinet Committee on International Narcotics Control, the licit mar- ket used 1.500 tons of the world's opium production in 1971 while the illicit market consumed an additional 1,000 tons.
Most of the world's licit opium is used to manufacture medicinal opiates and is grown in India and Turkey. In 1971, the two countries probably accounted for close to 99 percent of total world opium ex- ports. Now that Turkey has decided to discontinue cultivation of the opium poppy, India will most likely become the source of practically all of the legal opium used in the non-Communist world.
WORLD LICIT PRODUCTION OF OPIUM, BY COUNTRY!
[In metric tons]
Crop year 2
Total
India Turkey
U.S.S.R.
Iran
Other
1950
739
179
147
86
307
21
1951.
832
410
284
94
21
23
1952
849
272
370
104
83
19
1953.
1,007
489
255
92
145
26
1954.
609
341
56
103
92
18
1955.
660
281
176
109
61
33
1956
643
270
220
105
48
1957
589
377
40
147
24
1958.
775
511
144
93
27
1959.
909
593
149
132
35
1960..
1,253
711
323
169
50
1961
1,037
709
157
120
51
1962.
1,203
755
284
148
15
1963_
993
538
263
172
20
1964
787
501
73
188
25
1965
754
486
77
177
14
1966.
671
339
126
201
5
1967.
662
368
104
181
1968_
815
585
111
116
1969.
1,219
868
117
217
8
1970.
1,157
794
51
227
78
1971
1,449 +
943
150
200
156
1 Data for 1950-69 are from International Narcotics Control Board reports, data for 1970-71 are estimated. Data for India, Turkey, and Iran refer to opium containing 10 percent moisture. The U.S.S.R. and most other countries have not provided information to the United Nations on the moisture content of their opium.
2 Ending July 30 of the stated year.
3 Because of rounding, components may not add to the totals shown.
* Including Yugoslavia (40 tons in 1950, reduced to 1 ton in 1970), Japan (4 tons or less annually), Pakistan (12 tons annually), Bulgaria (7 tons in 1952, reduced to little or none in recent years). Data on licit production in China and North Vietnam are not available.
Not available.
Because of the very nature of the terminology-illicit production- precise estimates of the amount of opium produced illegally are not available. As a result of improved intelligence collection and more vigorous efforts on the part of governments involved, however, it is possible to approximate the amount of opium produced in 1971 for the illicit opium market.
As can be seen in the following table-of the estimated 990 to 1.210 tons of the world's illegal opium, 700 tons, or more than one-half of the total, is believed to be produced in Burma, Laos, and Thailand.
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