cannabisnews.com: Karzai Urges War on Opium Trade Karzai Urges War on Opium Trade Posted by CN Staff on December 10, 2004 at 09:55:45 PT By John Lancaster, Washington Post Foreign Service Source: Washington Post Kabul, Afghanistan, -- Two days after being sworn in as Afghanistan's first popularly elected president, Hamid Karzai called on his countrymen Thursday to wage holy war against the booming Afghan opium trade, which he described as a worse "cancer" than terrorism or the Soviet invasion of 1979. At the opening of a two-day narcotics conference, a visibly impassioned Karzai warned that the drug trade was imperiling efforts to rebuild the country, restore national honor and establish democracy three years after the fall of the Taliban. "Opium cultivation [and] heroin production [are] more dangerous than the invasion and the attack of the Soviets on our country," Karzai told an audience of bearded tribal elders, provincial governors and foreign diplomats. They are "more dangerous than the factional fighting in Afghanistan. . . . more dangerous than terrorism." Karzai vowed that "just as our people fought a holy war against the Soviets, so we will wage jihad against poppies." Afghan guerrillas battled Soviet troops for a decade before Moscow withdrew its forces. Last month, the United Nations reported that the cultivation of poppies, from which opium is extracted, had risen 64 percent in the country since 2003 and had spread to all 32 provinces. Valued at nearly $3 billion, the opium trade accounted for more than 60 percent of gross domestic product last year, according to the U.N.'s Afghanistan Opium Survey 2004. Afghanistan supplies an estimated 87 percent of the world's opium. The country's opium production all but disappeared in 2001 because of a severe crackdown by the Taliban, the fundamentalist Islamic group that ruled most of Afghanistan for five years. The skyrocketing resurgence of cultivation and trafficking has alarmed the Bush administration, which has asked Congress for $780 million to combat the trade. But the effort faces strong resistance from those profiting from the industry, including police and government officials, some of whom are said to occupy senior positions in Karzai's administration, according to news reports. Opium is also said to provide a major source of income for some of the same militia leaders who helped U.S.-led forces drive the Taliban from power in late 2001. Some U.S. officials have argued that the most effective way to combat the problem is by spraying chemical defoliants from aircraft. The tactic has been used on a large-scale basis in Colombia to destroy coca plants, which produce cocaine. But Western officials acknowledge that a similar spraying program could backfire in Afghanistan, given the importance of opium to the struggling rural economy, and Karzai's government has rejected the idea as too politically sensitive. In a speech to the same conference Wednesday, the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, mentioned eradication as just one of a number of anti-drug tactics that would be employed in Afghanistan, including public education, judicial reform, interdiction and the development of alternative sources of income. Khalilzad said the United States was planning to provide "cash for work" for 125,000 people in three poppy-growing provinces and would also underwrite programs to provide fertilizer and seeds in some areas. "Illegal drugs pose a mortal threat to Afghanistan's future," said Khalilzad, who called the opium trade "a dark specter that has the potential to undermine all that has been achieved thus far." Note: Leader Says Cultivation Imperils Attempt to Rebuild Afghanistan.Source: Washington Post (DC)Author: John Lancaster, Washington Post Foreign ServicePublished: Friday, December 10, 2004; Page A28 Copyright: 2004 Washington Post Contact: letterstoed washpost.comWebsite: http://www.washingtonpost.com Related Articles:An Outbreak in Afghanistanhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19989.shtmlPoppy Plant Returns To Afghanistan http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12154.shtmlKabul Bans Opium Poppy Growing, Traffickinghttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11778.shtmlAfghans Turn To Old Friend: Opiumhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11633.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #21 posted by rchandar on December 26, 2004 at 20:48:05 PT: karzai? well, at least he rejects spraying. If Afghanistan is to be a "model state," it will have to start by fomenting a humanistic and realistic drug policy--in other words, something different from the starkly inhuman draconianism of her neighbors on all sides.--rchandar [ Post Comment ] Comment #20 posted by afterburner on December 11, 2004 at 05:19:18 PT RE Complicity Interesting, David Crosby said the same thing about coca plants not too long ago.The harassment of outdoor cannabis farms has led to the proliferation of indoor "grow-ops," which governments then trumpet to be a huge menace to society. Is this the future of poppy and coca farming? THE PUSHER , Words and music by Hoyt Axton [ Post Comment ] Comment #19 posted by FoM on December 10, 2004 at 22:00:39 PT Off Topic For those who watch the different Discovery Channels they are changing the name of the one called Discovery Wings to Discovery Military Channel. I hope this doesn't encourage young men and women to enlist. http://wings.discovery.com/convergence/military/military.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #18 posted by FoM on December 10, 2004 at 20:24:26 PT Related Article: US Steps Up Drug Testing US Steps Up Drug Testing of Forces Saturday, December 11, 2004 WashingtonThe US military is increasing drug testing of its forces serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, in part out of concern that troops will turn to drugs because of the stress of combat, Pentagon officials said. Drug use is low in the military and primarily limited to marijuana, said Mary Beth Long, the Deputy Assistant Defence Secretary for counter-narcotics. She spoke yesterday with the American Forces Press Service, an internal military news service. Drug ProblemBut concerns have mounted about drug use centre on Afghanistan, which has become the world's leading provider of opium. Opium poppies can be refined into heroin; last year, Afghanistan accounted for 87 per cent of the world's opium supply. "One of the lessons that we have learned from the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan is that those troops went back to Russia with a drug problem," Long told the news service. "Our forces are obviously very, very different. We certainly have no expectation that they would suffer the same kind of issues." Stress FactorBut the increased stress of serving in combat areas could drive soldiers to readily available drugs, as happened to some during the Vietnam War, officials said. In March, the Pentagon cited surveys that said 32 per cent of troops stationed at home and around the world reported feeling "a lot" of work-related stress. The survey also found that cigarette smoking and heavy drinking were on the rise in the military. Use of illicit drugs is holding steady, however, far below the rate for civilians. (AP) http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?slug=US+steps+up+drug+testing&id=65002 [ Post Comment ] Comment #17 posted by mayan on December 10, 2004 at 19:04:58 PT Complicity We know where every single opium field is in Afghanistan. Our satellites have pinpointed their exact locations. If we wanted to spray them we could eradicate most of it in a matter of weeks. The "Taliban" managed to destroy most of the opium crops so why can't the new government with the help of Uncle Sam's empirical armies? Because they are the ones making money off of it!Nuevo Mexican, here's an interesting read...On Ungrounded Theories & Disinformation: http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=20040810075752147 [ Post Comment ] Comment #16 posted by Shishaldin on December 10, 2004 at 15:58:56 PT OT: Max Flowers Check your email, buddy :) [ Post Comment ] Comment #15 posted by global_warming on December 10, 2004 at 15:47:13 PT I don't get it? At the opening of a two-day narcotics conference, a visibly impassioned Karzai warned that the drug trade was imperiling efforts to rebuild the country, restore national honor and establish democracy three years after the fall of the Taliban."Opium cultivation [and] heroin production [are] more dangerous than the invasion and the attack of the Soviets on our country," Karzai told an audience of bearded tribal elders, provincial governors and foreign diplomats. They are "more dangerous than the factional fighting in Afghanistan. . . . more dangerous than terrorism...Karzai vowed that "just as our people fought a holy war against the Soviets, so we will wage jihad against poppies." Afghan guerrillas battled Soviet troops for a decade before Moscow withdrew its forces."If like the article states, "The country's opium production all but disappeared in 2001 because of a severe crackdown by the Taliban, the fundamentalist Islamic group that ruled most of Afghanistan for five years. ", then maybe they should bring back tha Taliban, but my confusion is how this country went from "all but disappeared" to being such a threat to humanity. I would imagine that high grade opium has always been a marketable produce, and the crackdown of the Taliban might have been perceived as a threat to the world production of this substance, thus the war on Afghanistan may have been about control of this substance.I hope that these current wars are not about control of the rich illicit drug profits and more about the spread of democracy.It just stinks and sounds funny, -gw [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by Sam adams on December 10, 2004 at 14:51:23 PT NM - pentagon strike I watched the 9/11 pentagon movie - my question is, where IS the Boeing 757? If it didn't go into the Pentagon, then where'd it go? Where'd all the people go that were on it? [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by Max Flowers on December 10, 2004 at 14:45:52 PT Off topic: Shishaldin Thanks for your QA followup in the other thread... can we connect? I'd love to be able to talk with you further if you go up to BC (or not, but it'd be especially cool if you do). It would be great to have a friend there. If you're so inclined, send an email to me at kamandha hushmail.com ok?thanx [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by FoM on December 10, 2004 at 14:06:46 PT I Agree I saw on the news an idea that at least might help with the Opium Poppy problem. The person said let our government buy it all up and use it in drugs that are made here in the states. He said we buy it from Turkey but why not Afghanistan. I'll add this. Pay them a lot of money and give them extra benefits like good schools or mosques or health care facilities. Something that they really want and need. Make it financially a good thing instead of spraying their country and killing the people. We as a Nation must stop being so stingy. The drug war costs way more then what these poor farmers should receive. [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by E_Johnson on December 10, 2004 at 13:59:20 PT There's a cultural problem Hashish is part of traditional Afghan culture and opium is not. Afghans are very sensitive about threats to their way of life. It's a pity. The people are desperate for cash, and opium brings in a lot more cash than anything else they have to sell. [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by FoM on December 10, 2004 at 13:35:34 PT Thanks EJ Then in a new democratic country people should be allowed to smoke Hash. I sure hope so. Years ago we had Hash that we were told was from Afghanistan and it was really good. There only was a small amount that ever made it to our area. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by E_Johnson on December 10, 2004 at 13:27:33 PT FoM In Afghanistan, they believe it's okay to smoke hash. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by FoM on December 10, 2004 at 13:21:04 PT EJ Can You Explain What does a Sufi believe? [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by E_Johnson on December 10, 2004 at 13:16:56 PT Oh I just thought of something duh He didn't mention hashish. He's a Sufi. I'm wondering about this. Maybe this is more complicated than it appears. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by FoM on December 10, 2004 at 12:48:08 PT Nuevo Mexican I checked out the link but I have seen interviews of the families who buried their dead from that incident. I don't understand. PS: Merry Christmas to you and your family. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Nuevo Mexican on December 10, 2004 at 12:22:43 PT Thanks Mayan! If anyone missed this..... catch it now!http://www.pentagonstrike.co.uk/ [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on December 10, 2004 at 11:45:23 PT CannabisMark I've always believed that the study of history is for us to learn to do things a better way or to mimic what others did right. It just seems so logical to me but then I'm not a politician. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by E_Johnson on December 10, 2004 at 11:41:29 PT It's an odd thing for him to say I can't imagine anyone comparing opium cultivation to the Soviet invasion. They razed entire villages from the air. The main thing opium production is doing is making Karzai's political opponents rich. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by CannabisMark on December 10, 2004 at 11:27:10 PT: Its that simple FoM agreed [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on December 10, 2004 at 10:02:29 PT When Will They Ever Learn? If only they would use history to show them what will never work. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment