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Article: Opium steals Afghan lives away.(Front)
- Article from:
- The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA)
- Article date:
- August 10, 2009
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 The Virginian Pilot-Ledger Star. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of the Dialog Corporation by Gale Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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By Rukmini Callimachi
The Associated Press
SARAB, Afghanistan
Open the door to Islam Beg's house and the thick opium smoke rushes out into the cold mountain air like steam from a bathhouse. It's just past 8 a.m. and the family of six - including a 1-year-old baby boy - is already curled up at the lip of the opium pipe.
Beg, 65, breathes in and exhales a cloud of smoke. He passes the pipe to his wife. She passes it to their daughter. The daughter blows the opium smoke into the baby's tiny mouth. The baby's eyes roll back in his head.
Their faces are gaunt. Their hair is matted. They smell.
In dozens of mountain ...