You will often see heroin-smoking men near Shahr-e Naw Wedding Hall, in southwest Kabul. In Kabul, heroin use is rampant despite Taliban promises to eliminate drug production and reduce narcotics dependence.
What may surprise people who pass through this area is seeing the drugged stray dogs being fed heroin.
Ahmad, not his real name, has been using heroin for many years. He fueled his addiction by stealing, beggarling and recycling plastic bottles. Nearby is a mixed-breed dog of unknown origin, probably born in Kabul’s streets. Ahmad puts a plastic bag over Ahmad’s head and inhale heroin. After several ‘hits, the dog is subdued and stands.
A series of disturbing photos taken in southwest Kabul show homeless addicts feeding heroin to the stray dogs that roam in the area to encourage the animals to stay close to the men and provide them with warmth and companionship
One of the homeless men explains that giving heroin to the stray dogs – which appear to be suffering the same effects of addiction as you would see in humans – means they return each night and provide both body heat and comfort to the addicts.
In August, the Taliban seized control and declared that they were committed to ending narcotics addiction. Reports in Kabul have indicated that Taliban police officers were able to round up drug-addicts and force them into rehabilitation centres.
Shahr-e Naw’s homeless men are afraid they might be beat or worsened if found with heroin. They have also heard that addicts are being murdered by the Taliban. Ahmad has a friend who is addicted to heroin for eight months. He cries as he holds the heroin in his hands. He said, “I had no idea that my drug addiction would lead to my death and my family’s disintegration.” “I have memorized Quran. I don’t think I’m a bad person but I find myself in deep water that I cannot get out.
The homeless man places the plastic bottle over the dogs nose, blowing heroin smoke through it. This leaves the dog in a state of subjection and similar to what a person would experience after taking the drug.
Although many of the drug addicts have to work hard to make money to pay for drugs, they appear to willing to give some of this heroin to the stray dogs for the body heat they provide, especially during Afghanistan’s bitterly cold winter months
Globally, the majority of the opium used to make heroin comes from Afghanistan. However, some of it is not exported but is still smoked on the streets.
Ahmad and other addicted members of this drug-affected homeless group break the drug on tin foil and heat the substance with a lighter before inhaling the smoke.
Heroin is seemingly cheap in Kabul, with addicts spending around 200 Afs ($2.20) (£1.60) a day on the habit, but many will work all day and through the night for a fix.
Recycling items costs 5 Afs (4p) per kg. Tins are the most valuable items, as they increase the weight faster. Bringing five people to a taxi driver can cost a person 10 Afs (12c) 8p.
It’s not surprising that drug addicts would waste this precious drug on stray dog, but Ahmad and other men believe it is worth the effort for the warmth and companionship they provide during Afghanistan’s cold winter months.
Kabul experiences a lot of snowfall and temperatures regularly drop below freezing in winter.
Although little research has been done on heroin’s effects on dogs, Dr Guy Sandelowsky, a veterinary surgeon, believes that canines may experience an euphoric feeling upon absorption.
It is concerning to see the effects of heroin in dogs. Dr Sandelowsky said that while it puts them at high risk of death from a sudden overdose, long term liver toxicities and profoundly negative impacts on their quality-of-life are possible.
At this point of the year, Kabul’s temperature is between 25-55 degrees Fahrenheit (-4-13 degrees Celsius), however by January it will drop to a colder level and snowfall will become more frequent. Temperatures in Kabul dropped as low as 3 degrees Fahrenheit (16 Celsius) in 2012.
In 2016, a disturbing video was shared on social media showing a dog with signs of heroin dependence. There were also reports that Kabul homeless men were giving the drug to the dogs.
Dodo related the story about Nesha who was seen looking uncomfortable and showing distressing signs.
Nesha had been living among the homeless addicts under the Pul-e-Sokhta bridge in Kabul and the video showed her being fed drugs and suffering in an intoxicated state.
In southwest Kabul, the homeless addicted to drugs in the Shahr-e Naw Wedding Hall drug-ridden community smashed the drug with tin foil. Heat it with a lighter then use a thin straw for inhalation.
Shahr-e Naw’s homeless men are worried about being beaten if found with heroin. They have also heard that addicts have been killed in Afghanistan by Taliban.
Following the viewing of the video Dr. Mujtaba Razaei, a veterinarian who at that time worked for the Nowzad animal shelter, in Kabul, sent a team down the Pul-e-Sokhta crossing to rescue Nesha.
Nesha, an addict, initially advised him that the dog wouldn’t get sick if she didn’t take three drugs per day. But the team managed to rescue her and put her on the streets. She has been adopted by a Kansas family.
Nesha, who was being taken back to Nowzad Shelter (which had been closed since August) was diagnosed with dug addiction. She was also suffering from withdrawal.
The Dodo was told by Dr. Rezaie that she found her very weak and couldn’t walk well. “She became so dependent upon the drugs, she used to bang against the walls if she did not get her fix.
Nesha was placed on a rehab program by veterinarians that included low-dose pain medication three times per week to aid her withdrawal from heroin. She also received a wheelchair for walking because her muscles had weakened.
The Dodo published the 2016 story about Nesha, a dog that was seen in discomfort rubbing against the bridge walls after being fed heroin.
Nesha was brought back to Nowzad’s animal shelter. She was showing signs of dug dependence and withdrawal.
Hannah Surowinski, co-founder of Nowzad, said at the time that Nesha’s was the first case of a dog addicted to opioids that the charity had come across, but they had since heard of other dogs in the same area whose owners had made them reliant on heroin.
London-based veterinary surgeon, Dr Guy Sandelowsky, explained that while there has been little research into the effects of heroin on dogs (based on our knowledge about how opioids affect humans as well as the way morphine is processed by dogs), he believes that the dogs may experience an euphoric feeling upon absorption.
He refers back to the 1971 paper which documented intravenous heroin’s cardiovascular effects in dogs. Dr Sandelowsky states: “Like in humans, heroin had profound physiological effects on dogs, such as severe depression and a rapid heartbeat, blood pressure, and breathing rate.
“As a consequence, heroin resulted in a markedly lower concentration of oxygen within the blood. This condition is called hypoxia. We know that it can lead to brain damage, muscle pain and organ failure.
Veterinarian Dr. Mujtaba Rezaei and his team put Nesha on a rehabilitation program that involved pain medication administered three times per day to ease her withdrawal off the heroin and she was given a wheelchair to help her walk
Nesha is now fully sober from heroin abuse and is re-homed in Kansas with her family since her 2016 rescie.
“As a veterinarian, the idea of dogs becoming dependent on drugs like heroin is very troubling. It puts dogs at high risk for a fatal overdose due to cardio-respiratory arrest and cardiac arrest. Long term liver toxicity is likely, which can have devastating effects on the dog’s quality of life.
Hamid Ullah (imam of Haji Yaqub mosque) tells us drugs are forbidden because the Hadith (sayings by the prophet Muhammed), instruct Muslims not to hurt animals.
With the economic crisis looming, charity organizations warn that the Taliban could make it worse.
The number of unemployed is increasing as more foreign-owned businesses move out of Afghanistan. Desperate Afghans sell everything they own to help pay for food. Famine is a real threat as millions face starvation, lack of water and shelter and are not able to access basic healthcare.