Posted on 01/08/2007 7:15:28 PM PST by mosquewatch.com
WASHINGTON - More heroin from Afghanistan is hitting U.S. city streets, five years after the United States toppled the country's fundamentalist Taliban regime.
The surge comes as Afghanistan's opium production reached an all-time high last year despite attempts by the United States and its allies to beat back a resurgence of the Taliban and to reduce poppy cultivation.
Almost 90 percent of the world's opium is made from poppies grown in Afghanistan. Once refined, most of the heroin is shipped throughout Europe. As a result, the Afghan drug trade has been portrayed primarily as a European problem, rather than an American one.
(Excerpt) Read more at kansascity.com ...
dont worry about it this is how we eliminate idiots from the gene pool
You'd think after all these years the drug warriors would devise some out of the box thinkin' to deal with the drug issue.
keep makin' the same mistakes=keep havin the same problems.
The problem is that our car stereos, power tools and home electronics often get eliminated first.
It's probably the Chinese who use the most effective "out of the box thinking" to deal with the drug issue. Illegal drug users and drug dealers are both treated the same; they are shot in the back of the head and their families are sent a bill for the bullet. End of problem.
Reality 101.
So much for personal responsibility. Just think of all the writers, leaders, men of the 18th and 19th century we could have been rid of. Oh that's right, most of these drugs weren't considered 'illegal' until the 20th century..
Maybe you should move to China if you like it so much.
I see that BS trotted out on this forum from time to time and wonder at people who make such blanket statements without checking their facts...It is relatively simple to verify that what you write bears some resemblance to reality...
Actually...
WORLD FACTBOOK OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEMS China
Drug offenses.
Drug offenses as defined in Chinese Criminal Law include the manufacturing, selling and transportation of drugs. Heroin and opium are the most prevalent drugs that are sold. Using drugs is not a criminal offense. As an amendment to the Criminal Law, the Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on the Strict Prohibition Against Narcotic Drugs includes holding drugs (possession) or taking actions to lure, instigate, deceive and/or force others to use drugs as among drug-related crimes.
* Death penalty.
Under criminal law, the death penalty is reserved for serious crimes such as murder, rape and serious property crimes. However, it cannot be imposed on juveniles under the age of 18 or women who are pregnant at the time of adjudication. Persons between 16 and 18 years-old may be sentenced to death if the crime is particularly heinous. However, they are also given a two-year suspension of execution period.
If a criminal is sentenced to death, but immediate execution is not essential, a two-year suspension of execution may be announced at the same time the sentence is imposed, followed by the carrying out of reform-through-labor activities. If the offender repents and demonstrates meritorious service upon the expiration of the two-year period, his or her sentence may be reduced to fixed imprisonment between 15 and 20 years. If there is evidence that the offender resisted reform in an odious manner, the death penalty is to be executed upon the order or approval of the Supreme People's Court. The method of execution is by shooting.
That's why they are growing them.
I wonder what the Worldfactbok says about Chinese Poitical dissedents who seem to turn up "missing" after going to prison.
The world fact book also does not correctly describe Taiwan.
From Wiki World Fact Book
Taiwan/Republic of China Taiwan has a separate entry not listed under T, but at the bottom of the list.[20] The name "Republic of China" is not listed as Taiwan's "official name" under the "Government" section [21], due to U.S. recognition of Beijing's One-China Policy according to which there is one China - the People's Republic of China - and Taiwan is a part of it.[22] The name "Republic of China" was briefly added on January 27, 2005 [23] but has since been changed back to "none".[24] (See also: Political status of Taiwan, Legal status of Taiwan)
Because the War of Drugs is a farce.
Russian crimelords are behind this, IMO.
Not a lot...
Amnesty International claims that China does execute drug offenders in spite of the laws they have on the books...I don't trust a lot of what they say either.
At any rate, China stands as a poor model of anything.
No, the Chinese don't do that at all. The Taleban, however, did.
Buy opium to stop heroin productionThe Problem:
Taking Heroin off the streets and addressing the worldwide Morphine shortage.The Social Invention:
The total cost in the E.U. of trying to contol heroin last year was £24 billion ($44 billion). Heroin is one of the worlds most addictive and deadly drugs and with record harvests in afghanistan there is set to be a lot more of this drug on our streets. Afghanistan currently produces one third of the worlds heroin, with 80% of the population dependant on the crop to make money. With the war on terror, troops have been destroying opium crops in the country to combat the problem. Even with their efforts there is to be a record harvest this year.This itself also produces problems as many farmers have been joining the Taliban and other insurgent forces in the country when their livelyhood has been wiped out by British and American troops. You only have to look at the news to see the situation in Afghanistan is getting worse especially in opium producion regions such as Hellmand province.
The dilemma is that this crop is what is holding Afghanistan together but is at the same time destroying thousands of lives elsewhere. Destroying the crop only makes the situation, so my solution is to buy the opium crop from them.
The best thing about this idea is that the opium has a use and will not go to waste. At the moment there is a worldwide morphine shortage, and many nations go without as it is to expensive to buy. Opium just so happens to be the same ingrediant of morphine. Currently there are only four nations in the world allowed to grow opium for morphine production (France, Spain, Turkey & India). If Afghanistan was added to the list the price of morphine would fall dramatically and there would not be the current worldwide shortage. To pay for this scheme money from the E.U. fund for tackling heroin which I mentioned earlier could be used. The advantages include...
- The farmers in Afghanistan would get a fair price for their crop.
- It would stop farmers joining the Taliban.
- It would reduce the price of morphine.
- It would address the morphine shortage.
- It would help stabilize Afghanistan.
- There would be a dramatic drop in Heroin reaching Europe.There are many reasons for this and I am yet to find any against it.
The Author - Gerard Mahoney
this seems so simple.....IT'S BRILLIANT !!!
Afghans don't have a very high rate of drug abuse. They sould probably legalize the drug so that the profits don't go to the Taliban. It wouldn't hurt them at all. In fact, it could be a significant revenue stream that they could use to rebuild their country and fight the war on terror.
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