Afghan opium production 'soars'

[George Bush]

Opium production in Afghanistan is soaring out of control, the annual UN report on illegal drugs says.

Yee-HAAA!!!!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6239734.stm

When the Taliban was in charge of Afghanistan, the opium trade was all but gone. Growers and dealers faced the death penalty.

Now the US Government is in Afghanistan; a government which purports to oppose drug use, indeed strips away many of our civil rights under the aegis of a 'war on drugs', yet somehow the conquered poppy fields of Afghanistan are doing a booming business and their product floods the streets of America.


GB

 

[headvoid]

When the Taliban was in charge of Afghanistan, the opium trade was all but gone. Growers and dealers faced the death penalty.

Two major Narcotics smugglers - Baz Mohammed and Bashir Noorzai, sat on the original five-member Taliban shura, or leadership council. They were funded right from the very start by Heroin. It is debatable wether the Heroin trade would have still had this increase under the Taliban. Helmand is controlled by tribes, and was always relatively lawless.

In 1996 when the Taliban came to power it is true they limited production through the use of torture, killing and suppression. I think it would be wrong to say it was "all but gone"

I do generally agree with the point though, with a proviso - the phoney war on drugs headlines on cutting supply not demand. This is a flawed strategy.

 

[bad dog]

Opium Rules!

That shit is great!

 

[ctmelvital]

Now imagine if they could actually sell it for a decent price instead of having middlemen make gigantic profits! :shock:
Consumers would pay less, too! And there might be income for the gubmint through taxes instead of paying billions every year to fight something inevitable.

As for the current situation: Who can really blame them? It's not like there's any alternative for them.

 

[headvoid]

Who can really blame them? It's not like there's any alternative for them.

Bingo, and I don't see any on the horizon. I do have sympathy with those in power on that one. They need to improve infrastructure to enable different agriculture and industry in, the Taliban keep on attacking them stopping them doing it.