How to account for the increases in drug production? Many households in Shan state are so poor that, given the chance, growing poppies remains the best financial option, whatever the risks. UNODC estimates that poppies provide typically half of a household’s annual income, or $920. Hundreds of Shan militia fighters protect the villages and the poppy fields from government interference. But some of Myanmar’s army officers and officials have long made money providing protection for growers and smugglers, too.