This is one of those moments that some day in the future, you will look back upon and say, "I was there in the beginning, before all this."

And this year's opium harvest will almost certainly be the largest ever. In the five years since the overthrow of the Taliban regime, land under cultivation for poppy has grown from 8,000 to 165,000 hectares.

Afghanistan can evolve into one of two things: the birthing place and nexus of the heroin trade, or an essential production facility in the manufacture of cheap and essential medicinal opiates. Both scenarios would have far-ranging effects on millions of people. When will our leaders begin to pursue the one that helps people?