Although Kyrgyzstan was once a key supplier of licit opium poppy for the Soviet Union, the GOK continues the ban on opium poppy cultivation, first imposed by the Soviet Union in 1973. Prior to 1973, over 7,000 hectares of opium poppy were cultivated annually and sent to a plant in Kazakhstan for licit morphine processing. Moscow banned cultivation because of difficulties in controlling the licit cultivation and the processing of opium. Instead, it began to import licit opium poppy straw from India. Although there are no reports of opium production, various sources indicate that opium poppy continues to grow wild and is cultivated for illicit purposes.
Most cultivation is in remote mountainous regions.
Authorities did report the discovery of an opium poppy field in Bishkek three years ago. There are also reports that ephedra grows wild in Kyrgyzstan. Cannabis is also grown in Kyrgyzstan. Economic conditions in Kyrgyzstan prompted the GOK three years ago to slash funds allocated to the country's five drug treatment centers in Bishkek, Osh, Karakol, Naryn, and Talas. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs Policy Initiatives and Bilateral Cooperation.