Comments on: Legalizing Opium in Afghanistan

By: Afghanistan » Blog Archive » Legalizing Opium in Afghanistan

Afghanistan » Blog Archive » Legalizing Opium in Afghanistan — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 06:11:11 +0000

[...] . With a vicious and effective Taliban resurgence spreading throughout many parts of the country, such talk indicates that the British … – more – [...]

By: Entropy

Entropy — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 03:25:03 +0000

Richard,

The primary problem today is that poppy is a low-cost, high-profit crop. It’s low cost in that it’s easy to grow. Other crops are both higher-cost to produce as well as offer lower profit. Some, like grapes for wine, could offer profits greater than poppy over the long term, but they require considerable investment as well as several years before a profit is seen.

By: White Agent

White Agent — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 23:24:00 +0000

Can you make ethanol out of Opium Poppies? Just stabing in the dark.

By: Richard Scott

Richard Scott — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 23:14:16 +0000

Central Helmand produces some 40% of Afghanistan’s opium. Before the Soviet invasion they produced none. It is a double-crop, cash crop area with the largest irrigation system in the country, built with Afghan and US funding between 1946 and 1979. Since 1997 they have been asking for help with the irrigation system, the roads and the markets for their traditional cash crops including cotton, peanuts, vegetables, melons so they can stop producing opium which they consider an evil crop but with a reliable market, good income and an informal credit system from the local opium buyers, something not available with their traditional cash crops. The farmers say that they dont need opium poppy if they could get some effective help with their other crops. The US cant help with the cotton because of cotton lobby restrictions on foreign aid. But there is a functioning cotton gin there that processes the cotton that is still produced. The irrigation system has been improved but the US foreign aid program in the region has been inconsistent and unreliable over the past 4-5 years producing a farmer attitude of distrust and disbelief in the US and their own government. This is a factor in the return of the Taliban and the continuing increase in opium production. They are not and have never been subsistence farmers, and they have cars and tractors.

By: Entropy

Entropy — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 18:34:21 +0000

Why criminalize something you have no intention of enforcing? The Brits and US are smart enough not to engage in destruction of poppy fields, as that jeopardizes the livelihood of farmers who depend on it for virtually all their yearly income. The Taliban crack-down on poppy in 200-2001 had a similar effect and actually made their overthrow much easier for us.

The destruction of poppy fields will only drive the price up and make poppy production that much more attractive from a financial standpoint. One would think that after decades of failure in our largely supply-side “Drug War” we would have figured this out by now.

What the US/NATO should do it buy the poppy from this year’s crop and then provide subsidies for other crops next year to offset the loss of income. Poor rural farmers don’t like growing poppy and getting caught in the middle of a narcotics war, with mouths to feed they don’t have much choice. The US and NATO need to make it economically advantageous for them to switch to a different crop.

By: Afghanistan » Blog Archive » Emerging Infectious Diseases - Spatial epidemiology of Plasmodium vivax, Afghanistan

Sun, 08 Apr 2007 06:16:14 +0000

[...] There are rumors that Tony Blair wants to decriminalize the production of opium in Afghanistan. With a vicious and effective Taliban resurgence spreading throughout many parts of the country, such talk indicates that the British … – more – [...]