Posted on 10/12/2006 10:08:11 PM PDT by gandalftb
Canadian troops fighting Taliban militants in Afghanistan have stumbled across an unexpected and potent enemy - almost impenetrable forests of three metre high marijuana plants.
General Rick Hillier, chief of the Canadian defense staff, said on Thursday that Taliban fighters were using the forests as cover. In response, the crew of at least one armoured car had camouflaged their vehicle with marijuana.
"The challenge is that marijuana plants absorb energy, heat very readily. It's very difficult to penetrate with thermal devices ... and as a result you really have to be careful that the Taliban don't dodge in and out of those marijuana forests," he said in a speech in Ottawa.
"We tried burning them with white phosphorous - it didn't work. We tried burning them with diesel - it didn't work. The plants are so full of water right now ... that we simply couldn't burn them," he said.
Even successful incineration had its drawbacks.
"A couple of brown plants on the edges of some of those (forests) did catch on fire. But a section of soldiers that was downwind from that had some ill effects and decided that was probably not the right course of action," Hillier said dryly.
Chong is from Canada. :)
Do we eat it? No, No, Noooo, No. (Sorry, I regressed to an old 'Fridays' episode)
"A couple of brown plants on the edges of some of those (forests) did catch on fire. But a section of soldiers that was downwind from that had some ill effects and decided that was probably not the right course of action," Now THAT'S funny.
"camouflaged their vehicle with marijuana"
Recruitment tactic?
Burn their crops!
"Almost impenetrable forests of 3 meter (10 feet) high marijuana plants."
A great way to jump start the reforestation that Afghanistan so desperately needs. And to quote George Washington, "Let us consider the virtues of the hemp plant." Very useful fiber. Better than sisal. I seem to recall that the big push against marijuana came in the 1930s when DuPont (?) was developing nylon and didn't want the competition. The seeds are used in bird feed. Now we know why the caged bird sings.
the recruiters offices are going to be jammed full when people hear about this! lol
So these were bona fide high-THC marijuana plants rather than hemp?
doubt it.
They should. Couple acres of weed burning and all the troops will face are...the hippy dippy terrorist! If they put their masks on first :)
"The seeds are used in bird feed."
Dude. For real?
Used in bird seed.
So far as I know this is true, but they may be heat treated or low THC so as not to be good for pot growing.
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