Afghanistan’s opium harvest this year has reached the highest levels ever recorded, showing an increase of almost 50 percent from last year.

The UN says this is "very bad news." They also noted:

"This year’s harvest will be around 6,100 metric tons of opium -- a staggering 92 percent of total world supply. It exceeds global consumption by 30 percent."

President Hamid Karzai expressed disappointment at the results.

35 percent of Afghanistan's gross domestic product is estimated to come from the narcotics trade.

Opium Harvest at Record Level in Afghanistan