In July 2000, Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar announced a total ban on opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, which then produced over 90% of the world's opium. The ban, which was enforced in Taliban-controlled areas, led to a sharp decline in production. However, it was reversed after the U.S. invasion in 2001, leading to a resurgence of the drug trade that would fuel the insurgency and destabilize the country.

The Taliban's opium ban and its subsequent collapse have been the subject of Afghan poetry and memoir, documenting the complex relationship between the drug trade and national identity. Poets like Nadia Anjuman and others have used their work to critique the cycles of violence and poverty driven by opium, making it a poignant symbol of Afghanistan's modern tragedies.