Afghanistan's Poppy Trade

While arguments continue over which presidential contender can win the "war on terror," not enough is being said about another "war" on one of its battlefields.

In Afghanistan, long a focal point and problem spot of the "war on drugs," the situation has gotten worse.

The U.S. State Department reports that Afghanistan is on pace to produce a record opium poppy crop this year.

Afghanistan is already estimated by the United Nations to produce three-quarters of the world's opium. The $2.3 billion trade is responsible for half of the poor nation's gross national product.

Afghanistan's former ruling Islamist clique, the violent Taliban, did hardly anything that was praiseworthy. But it did eventually restrict production of opium poppies, thanks to Islam's prohibitions on narcotics.

But in the chaos that's dominated since the Taliban's fall, Afghan farmers have returned to their most reliable cash crop.

The farmers in most cases have little choice. The Times of London in August reported the plight of the Afghan poppy grower. He owns a small plot of land without irrigation where the hardy poppy is one of the few plants that can survive. He borrows money from an opium trader to start his crop, and - like the sharecroppers of America's past - typically never earns enough to pay off the loan. Farmers who fall too far behind have been reported to give away their daughters to satisfy a debt.

When the Taliban rather abruptly ordered poppy growing halted four years ago, many farmers were stuck with debts they could not repay. No other crop is as lucrative. With the Taliban on the run, poppy production has increased, and Northern Alliance warlords who fought the Taliban are now accused of exploiting its absence to make opium deals.

The situation was put succinctly by Assistant Secretary of State Robert B. Charles, who in congressional testimony in April, said: "In Afghanistan there are no more urgent and fundamental issues than the drug situation, which if left unchecked, will become a cancer that spreads and undermines all we are otherwise achieving in the areas of democracy, stability, anti-terrorism and rule of law."

While Afghan farmers see little of the revenue generated from their crops, billions of dollars from the sale of opium and its derivative heroin are bankrolling criminal and terrorist organizations. Winning a "war on terror" then requires a victory against the opium traders. But how do you win that fight?

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld last month said coalition forces fighting the Taliban and searching for terrorist leader Osama bin Laden would soon add to their tasks a coordinated effort to address Afghanistan's drug trade. But the failure of military actions to end the cocaine trade in Columbia provides little reason for optimism.

It's time to abandon the "war" rhetoric when addressing the steps the world community must take in ending the illegal drug trade. Afghanistan's dependence on poppy crops isn't likely to end as a result of a military action.

Poppy farmers, like coca farmers, have few, if any, cash crop alternatives. They won't stop growing these narcotic plants until they have another way to feed their families. Ultimately, narcotics-buying nations such as ours must address that issue, as well as the demand for illegal drugs that fuels this killing trade.

Dear Editor:

A couple of comments about your latest editorial (Afghanistan's Poppy Trade 9/27/04)

First, my disclaimer: I was mobilized and deployed to Afghanistan with the US Army for nearly a year. I communicate with buddies (both military and civilians) who have been in Afghanistan at the start of the war of terror and who are over there now. I have talked to scores of Afghan farmer from all over the country.

The Taliban never reduced the growing of opium poppies or cracked down on narcotics. Not one bit. In fact, the Taliban encouraged growing narcotics (opium and marijuana) expressly for export in order to help destroy the infidel west (and to raise money for their terrorist activities). There is no Islamic prohibitions on narcotics. Narcotics are allowed according the Koran (as opposed to alcohol, which is expressly forbidden). I know it seems strange, but Afghanistan (along with most Islamic countries) are lands where you can buy a pound of pot for pennies at any marketplace but have to smuggle in a Budweiser.

Afghan farmers are masters at irrigation and Afghanistan is one of the most irrigated countries on the planet. I swear, Afghan farmers can make water flow up hill. They can grow any type of crop and have for centuries. There is food in abundance including crops that require enormous amounts of water (melons and cotton).

The real, big question should be, what has changed? The Taliban destroyed any "modern" irrigation projects (as they were not allowed under their version of Islam) and allowed what little of the transportation system left after 23 years of war to crumble. What drug crops that could be grown by hand had to be transported by donkey over "goat paths" to even begin their journey to the west.

Now, the Americans come in and liberated the place. Americans have a good history of rebuilding countries that we liberate, especially roads and bridges. Afghanistan is going though a massive rebuilding effort and, along with it, modern farming techniques (tractors and modern irrigation) are being "reintroduced."

We are victim of our own success. It is just plain easier for the drug crop (or any crop) to be planted, harvested, processed and transported.

As a side note, Afghans do use the drugs they produce (as just opposed to us infidels in the west). The Taliban used to just execute drug addicts (was that a "praiseworthy" part of their "war on drugs" too?). Today, drug addiction is rapidly growing in Afghanistan and I expect to see it soon on the massive level as we see in Iran.

The solution to the problem of Afghanistan's drug crop is complex and you touched on many of the hard issues. But we must get the historical facts straight if we are to even begin controlling this problem.

Best Regards,

2banana

An Afghan security guard plays with a dog on a hill overlooking Kabul on September 27, 2004. More than 17,000 U.S. and allied troops are fighting an insurgency waged by the Taliban, overthrown in 2001 for supporting Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network. REUTERS/Desmond Boylan

Sayed Mohammed looks at his poppy field at a village in Bagh-E-Afghan, about 110 kilometers (68 miles) northwest of Kabul in this April 20, 2004 file photo. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday September 23 accused foreign forces in Afghanistan of letting the drugs trade run out of control -- one week after the United States itself rebuked Afghanistan for the booming business. REUTERS/Ahmad Sear/Files

An Afghan policeman looks at a pile of narcotics being burned on the outskirts of Kabul September 23, 2004. Afghan officials on Thursday burned 2659.6 kg of opium, 4069.6 kg of hashish, 169.8 kg of heroin and 839 bottles of alcoholic drinks and beers. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

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