UN: Afghan opium production increases

[bemildred]

Source: AP

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan has been increasing for a third year in a row and is heading for a record high, the U.N. said in a report released Monday.

The boom in poppy cultivation is at its most pronounced in the Taliban's heartland in the south, the report showed, especially in regions where troops of the U.S.-led coalition have been withdrawn or are in the process of departing. The report suggests that whatever international efforts have been made to wean local farmers off the crop, they are having little success.

Increased production has been driven by unusually high opium prices, but more cultivation of Afghanistan's premier cash crop is also an indication that Afghans are turning to illicit markets and crops as the real economy shrinks ahead of the expected withdrawal of foreign combat troops at the end of 2014.

Afghanistan is the world's largest producer of opium, the raw ingredient in heroin, and last year provided about 75 percent of the global crop — a figure that may jump to 90 percent this year due to increased cultivation.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gOQs88txeBB2_lS2qvrj3VZv_VrQ?docId=e0f8b6bc03de45b380611764e3c1b24e

[cartach]

1. Are the CIA

directly involved running the operation with the Taliban like they have been known to do? And taking their cut?

[valerief]

6. I don't think you even have to ask that. We know the answer. nt

[Javaman]

2. Nothing new...

It's been like this for years, thanks to us...

Afghanistan as a Narco State
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0308/p08s02-comv.html

(note the date of the article)

[bemildred]

3. Yet another Drug War failure. nt

[Javaman]

4. I have always believed it was purposely encouraged.

Under the Taliban, drugs in general and poppy growing were a executable offense.

In steps the U.S. and now that the taliban is no longer in charge, local farmers quickly convert to poppy crops.

Why?

because regular crops pay crap on the bushel. However, poppy pays big bucks.

So the U.S. thinks (read moron*, chaney and the other room full of dopes), "heeeeeeeyyyy, if we allow them to grow dope, the economy will rebound quickly via the flood of money from the drug lords!

They would stage the occasional "raid" on the offending farmers aka farmers making to much money and cutting into the profits of the local drug lords "cooperating" with the U.S. forces.

However, never once did the farming or the production of poppy go down. In fact it continued to go up.

And soon, after we are gone, the heroine trade in the world will explode. More so than it already has.

I bet any smart sociology researcher could do a direct comparison of the rise of the heroine trade and the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan.

And with a little digging by a investigative reporter who doesn't fear for their life or stays out of small planes, could easily find that the CIA was complicit in a payola type operation.

Hell, it's either Kasai's bother or brother in law (I forget which) is a drug/war lord in one of the provinces.

[bemildred]

5. Some people are making a lot of money from drug prohibition.

So of course they think it's all just great.

[bpollen]

8. Hmmm...

Based on what I learned during my studies as a youth (Wizard of Oz movie) half the country should be asleep...