"Suh-weet! "
Posted on 08/27/2007 12:08:11 PM PDT by gandalftb
NEW YORK: The United Nations is to release figures for drug production in Afghanistan that will show another reverse for the British-led effort to control the drug trade.
The Daily Telegraph understands that annual production is expected to have risen by 18 per cent to about 7,200 tons - the sixth consecutive rise since 2001.
That compares to 6,100 tons last year and 4,200 in 2004 and the increase includes another surge in production in Helmand province, which now produces more than half of the total opium for the country.
The New York Times reported that production in Helmand, which was at 70,000 hectares last year, jumped by 45 per cent.
Christina Oguz, the head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) was critical of both the Afghan government and its western backers.
"The government has not dealt with it in the right way, otherwise it should have at least been stabilised or contained. The same goes for the international community."
It is estimated that 95 per cent of the heroin sold in Britain is produced in Afghanistan.
Western officials in Kabul say drug farmers and smugglers work with corrupt government officials and the Taliban in a trade worth more than £1.5 billion - about 40 per cent of the whole Afghan economy.
This year's figures show that production of drugs decreased in northern provinces, where security is better, but increased in areas where the Taliban insurgency fuels general lawlessness.
Habibula Qaderi, the Afghan counter-narcotics minister, resigned before the figures were released but officials were encouraged that the number of provinces declared drug-free rose from six to 10 out of 34.
They also pointed out that much of the overall rise in production was done to good growing conditions.
Western counter-drugs officials say the Afghan government has rejected American pressure for a radical programme of aerial herbicide spraying to eradicate poppy.
Afghan and British officials argue to it is too risky both in terms of dangers to health and legitimate crops and for the consequent propaganda opportunities it would present to the Taliban.
The Daily Telegraph understands that the Government backs a more active supporting role for Nato troops, though this would not include direct participation in poppy eradication.
There is pressure from Afghan officials for British troops to take a direct role, particularly in drugs interdiction in Helmand.
legalize it in the UK, it will drive the price down...
SNAFU is right.
At least there’s good economic news someplace.
What’s the best stock to capitalize on this?
/sarcasm
How about illegalize in Afghanistan? An amazing situation that only politics could create.
Pharmaceutical equipment...needles.
Legalize it. Price drops. Maybe if people can get heroin they won’t try meth.
Mrs VS
why not just mustard gas every region they grow it in, after mustard gas, nothing will ever grow back...
Damn those entrepreneurs. Of course legalizing will only increase the number of users because everyone knows that the only thing that keeps 99% of us from becoming heroin addicts is respect for the law. ;-)
Why don’t we try to fight the demand here in the US, then when the demand is down, the supply will follow.
I don’t for a minute believe that there are good numbers for this that are in any way reliable. They’re just makin’ stuff up.
Education to fight demand is one thing. Building more and more jails for the public care and feeding of addicts is quite another thing.
Capitalism without a moral base is not a blessing on the earth.
Can we make ethanol or biodiesal out of this stuff?
In my post a couple of days ago the story was of the actual governmental control of most of Helmand by the Taliban. Waziristan is a Taliban Sheikdom. It is reality.
Crop spraying has to be low level to work, but is very dangerous due to ground fire. Also, frequent refueling and refilling the herbicide tanks is a problem as we don't have a network of close-in airfields.
So, many technical and logistic limitations right now.
I’m not disputing that poppies are grown in Afghanistan or that it’s a huge source of heroin production. It’s been that way for a hundred years.
I do dispute that anybody really knows how much total production there has been, year to year, over that time with any sort of precision.
I also dispute the attempt to lay blame for the existence of a poppy crop in the lap of the Brits or the U.S. As usual the left just points fingers at the West for all the troubles in the world.
free market at work.
Not sure, but we might be on the same page here. I am against the drug war as I think it causes more harm than good.
"Suh-weet! "
:>)
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