Posted on 01/13/2009 11:43:52 AM PST by gandalftb
DUSHANBE, Tajik Drug Control Agency (DCA) chief Rustam Nazarov noted that according to the Afghan counternarcotics service, 7,700 tons of raw opium were produced in Afghanistan last year, 500 tons fewer than 2007.
He noted that last year showed an increase in narcotics production in Afghan provinces not controlled by the central government.
“The provinces uncontrolled by the central government now produce some 80 percent of Afghan narcotics,” said the Tajik drug control chief, “18 provinces in Afghanistan have been announced narcotics-free; three of these – Takhor, Balkh and Kunduz - border Tajikistan.” He added that production of narcotics in Afghan Badakhshan that also borders Tajikistan had decreased considerably.
In the meantime, the DCA chief noted that production of cannabis had increased in Afghanistan.
(Excerpt) Read more at asiaplus.tj ...
Our families buy narcotics from the Taliban/AQ who use that money to kill our families.
There is nothing our new leader/Obama, of our military, can do in Afghanistan, a land our military/Obama can freely operate, that is more important to the lives of Americans, than stopping the farming of poppies in Afghanistan.
Thank you Brits, for seizing 38,500 pounds of poppy seeds last November.
We have this goofy policy that allows the Afghans to keep growing and harvesting it if they once can get it planted. We are only interdicting seed sales and processing after harvest.
Get on it O!
This area used to be a major earner for the Taliban/Haqqanis.
Do they need a bailout?
I figure with Obambi coming into power, the farmers would be ramping up production!
It would be far cheaper to pay the farmers to grow something else. Shouldn’t it? or is there something I am missing?
Seriously, they’re going to be shipping bales of that high-grade ganja straight to the White House.
ugh, yes poppy seeds on bagels are disgusting, and don't get me started with poppy seed cake..... Yes, thank you Brits, for saving the world from poppy seed horror ;^)
The big problem is the lack of roads to transport anything harvested to market.
Who do you pay to grow something else? It would have to be every farmer in Afghanistan since once you start paying the ones who are actually growing Opium, the ones who haven't been growing Opium will start growing it. The ones you are paying may stop growing Opium and start growing Marijuana. Or they may tell you they have stopped growing Opium when they haven't. If we knew every farmer who was growing it already we could presumably stop them without paying.
One other fact, even if we made every farmer in Afghanistan multi millionaires so they could retire to the south of France and spend their days in their villas, new farmers in Afghanistan and elsewhere would step in and grow Opium to fill the demand. If there is a demand for a product, someone somewhere is going to supply that product. It's market fundamentals of supply and demand.
That is why legislating black market products like drugs out of existence hasn't worked and will never work. The legislation is an attempt to change human nature, and human nature is a natural law, one that cannot be changed by legislation.
That's a brilliant strategy. Nothing like stopping the farming of poppies which has been grown in Afghanistan since time itself started. What a great way to win the hearts and minds of the population. Take away their cash crop and replace it with a unprofitable barely able to grow in the climate substitute.
Poppies were grown before the Soviets. Poppies were grown before the Taliban. Poppies were grown during the Taliban. Poppies are being grown after the Taliban. Poppies will always be grown in Afghanistan.
What are the afghan farmers going to grow instead? What sounds good to some experts as a replacement crop is not actually what works on the ground in the soil... I'm sure if there was a different crop they could plant to make a profit, they could. Obviously, since poppies have been grown there since the beginning of time, there are not that many alternatives.
Wouldn't a better strategy be to secure the Afghan population instead of the old WOD strategy that has been proven ineffective ... crop eradication ... look at Columbia today. The FARC is being eliminated, not because of eradicating coca leafs, but by pure military tactics. This is the WOT, not the WOD.
Finally, IMO and countless others, the poppies are not the Taliban's sole funding source. The LWJ has constantly pointed out that large amounts of Taliban and AQ funding comes from wealthy Arabs, Islamists, and foreign intelligence agencies; not to mention charities and other donations from relief agencies (fronts)
Our families buy narcotics from the Taliban/AQ who use that money to kill our families
It's always our families, our children etc.... when dealing with narcotics ...
We have this goofy policy that allows the Afghans to keep growing and harvesting it if they once can get it planted. We are only interdicting seed sales and processing after harvest.
We must eliminate all the poppies. That is a great way of eliminating support for the Taliban, and eliminating support for the government and Coalition soldiers, destroy one of the few sources of income for the population without offering an equal alternative.
Do you think we have that policy to try and prevent afghans from turning on us and turning toward the Taliban, or because we want to act "goofy"?
The horrors.
Gotta love so called conservatives who support the WOD ... What patriots you are ...
“In the meantime, the DCA chief noted that production of cannabis had increased in Afghanistan.”
Invest a few bucks in some private (read: well armed) 'contractors' to protect their investment, and the drug lords could be run out of business.
Many do not realize that poppies are a significant food source in some cultures. Perhaps in areas where the government has influence the poppy seeds could be “pasturized” (mildly heat treated) so they cannot sprout, but could be used as food. The farmers could then be supplied with low opium content seeds for replanting next spring.
Also if there is poppy seed that has little or no opium content, why not “crop dust” it over planted fields so that when the poppies grow there are so many useless (in opium) poppy plants that it will either be tremendous work to separate them out, or the quality of the poppy juice will be inferior enough to reduce the interest of the opium buyers.
I also read somewhere about drug companies putting something into poppies to produce other types of pharmaceuticals. Perhaps farmers could earn a premium over other cash crops by working with drug companies. They obviously know how to grow poppies, they need redirection.
Where to begin? It might be interesting to see the landlords overdosing on their product.
lol... do you realize how hard it would be to live on poppy seeds? They are not and have never been a “ significant food source” in any culture. Poppy seeds are like a spice, prized for their texture and flavor, not their nutritional value.
“I also read somewhere about drug companies putting something into poppies to produce other types of pharmaceuticals. Perhaps farmers could earn a premium over other cash crops by working with drug companies. They obviously know how to grow poppies, they need redirection.”
So you think these drug companies are unable to produce these other pharmaceuticals because the only poppy growers in the world are making opium instead of growing the special poppies they need to make them? sheesh. Poppys are like weeds, anyone can grow them, it doesn't take any special skill.
Even if that were the case and all Afghani poppy growers could somehow find work supplying the needs of pharmaceutical manufacturers, (unlikely) you forget that there are still heroin addicts out there that will pay any price to get their next fix. Stopping heroin production in Afghanistan will not stop heroin production. It will simply shift it elsewhere.
monday is denying that poppy seeds are a significant food in some cultures. Did a little Google search. Found that poppy seed oil is a valuable food. Also the seeds themselves are low colesterol, low sodium, high potassium, high fiber, and a number of other good things. One tablespoon has 2 mg of proteing (one egg has 6), 13% calcium, and 5% iron. They are popular in Middle East and India as food.
So even after they harvest the opium from the capsules, they still have the poppies for food. As I said before, why not “pasturize” the seeds for food and supply low opium seeds for next year.
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