Afghanistan is no stranger to the War on Drugs. The country's poppy fields are one of the world's largest suppliers of opium and opiate derivatives. Maybe the Afghan government isn't so concerned about that, because it's going out of the country, not coming in. What is being imported is fake Viagra. While you'd think the Afghan Health Ministry would be more concerned about the life-threatening effects of say, land mines, they recently issued warnings about the dangers of counterfeit Viagra.
Granted, fake Viagra can have some pretty nasty stuff in it. It's estimated that upwards of 4 million pills are being imported and consumed nationwide. And there are only 9 million men in Afghanistan.
Why is Viagra (or some version thereof) in such demand? Some chalk it up to psychological effects of the country being embroiled in over three decades of war. Then there's the fact that it's not uncommon for Afghan me to have a few (younger) wives to keep satisfied. That's what helped the CIA use gifts of Viagra to get traction with tribal leaders.
Anyway, the government warnings don't seem to be having any effect, as the pills continue to pour into the country to be sold at open air markets.
