The Taliban burned poppy fields, which we relied on for heroin as well as pharmaceuticals. We come in and rip up the mountains with the biggest non-nuclear bombs ever, restore the flow of opiates, and get control of an undeveloped mountain range filled with natural gas. That's just good business.

Wow and there is an epidemic of heroin use in our country because it is so inexpensive. Could their be a connection?

Pretty sure this is intentionally being done to fuck with China.

Cheap Afghan opium is flooding China while Uighur Islamic extremists from Xinjiang have been accused of carrying out acts of terrorism. Hundreds of them are based in the badlands of Pakistan and Afghanistan and are supported by the Taliban and al-Qaeda. In fact China faces an increasing national security threat if militant groups continue to find sanctuary in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Source

This is reminiscent of the Soviet-Afgan War.

And don't forget about the Opium Wars.

Forcing opium on China is a long standing tradiition. Let's just pray that it doesn't backfire more than it already has.

You don't say? America being the largest consumer of opioid products would do and want its best to make sure the source of their systematic doping of American citizens continues.

It is why the CIA had the US invade in the first place. The Taliban thought drugs were unislamic and forbade cultivation where they controlled. The CIA helped the northern alliance(drug lords) to keep production going in the mountains. After 9/11 we helped the northern alliance kick out the Taliban and now everyone grows Opium Poppies while US taxpayers ship them food. Heroine is not epidemic in the US by accident.