opium

In Catawba County, law enforcement officers are seizing an acre of poppies, the plant used in making drugs like heroin.

An annual U.N. report finds that more than 550,000 acres were cultivated with opium poppies this year — that's approaching the total land area of Rhode Island.

Opium poppy cultivation has hit a record level, according to a new U.N. report. Western countries have been trying to eradicate the poppies for years. Yet it remains the single largest economic sector in places like the southern province of Helmand.