cannabisnews.com: Report Sees Global Opium Production Drop Report Sees Global Opium Production Drop Posted by CN Staff on June 26, 2006 at 07:37:55 PT By George Gedda, Associated Press Writer Source: Associated Press Washington, DC -- Opium poppy cultivation worldwide was down 22 percent in 2005, a United Nations report said Monday, part of a generally favorable, albeit inconclusive, trend in efforts by governments to contain illicit drug production.The U.N.'s 2006 World Drug Report also found that cocaine use is reaching alarming levels in Western Europe. Consumption of marijuana, the most widely used illicit drug, continued to increase, the study said. It attributed the decline in opium poppy cultivation to cutbacks in the three main source countries of illicit opium: Afghanistan, Myanmar and Laos. Opium is the main ingredient for heroin."In Afghanistan, in 2005, opium poppy cultivation decreased for the first time since 2001," the report said. Still, it said, that country accounted for 89 percent of opium production worldwide.The State Department's annual report on illicit drugs, issued in March, acknowledged that opium production is hampering democracy-building efforts in Afghanistan."Afghanistan's huge drug trade severely impacts efforts to rebuild the economy, develop a strong democratic government based on rule of law, and threatens regional stability," the State Department report said.Despite the sharp decrease in the total area under cultivation in all opium-producing countries, the U.N. report said production was down only 5 percent due to more favorable weather conditions during the 2005 growing season in Afghanistan."The world's supply of opium has shrunk, but in an unbalanced way," the study said. "Within a few years, Asia's notorious Golden Triangle, once the world's narcotics epicenter, could become opium-free. But in Afghanistan, while the area under opium cultivation decreased in 2005, the country's drug situation remains vulnerable to reversal. This could happen as early as 2006."Assessing the gamut of illicit drugs, from heroin and cocaine to ecstasy, amphetamines and marijuana, the report concluded, "Drug control is working and the world drug problem is being contained."Levels of drug cultivation and drug addiction are much lower than they were 100 years ago, it said."Even more importantly, in the past few years, worldwide efforts to reduce the threat posed by illicit drugs have effectively reversed a quarter-century-long rise in drug abuse that, if left unchecked, could have become a global pandemic," the report added.On coca, the plant used to make cocaine, the report reaffirmed a Bush administration finding in April that that total area of coca cultivation in Colombia has been increasing despite sustained, U.S.-backed eradication efforts since 2000.The administration says the $4 billion invested in its anti-cocaine strategy in Colombia is working, but some members of Congress and independent experts disagree.Colombia accounts for 54 percent of coca cultivation globally, followed by Peru (30 percent) and Bolivia (16 percent), according to the study.Most cocaine continues to be used in the Americas, particularly North America, which accounts, with 6.5 million users, for almost half the global cocaine market, the report said.While use in the Americas declined, the report said, it is rising in Europe, where the estimated 3.5 million users account for 26 percent of the worldwide total, the largest concentration of which is in West and Central Europe.Cocaine use in those regions (1.1 percent) is only about half the figure in North America, the report said, but the trend is pointing upward.Annual "prevalence rates" of more than 2 percent, it said, have been reported from Spain and the United Kingdom.A service of the Associated Press(AP)Source: Associated Press (Wire)Author: George Gedda, Associated Press WriterPublished: June 26, 2006Copyright: 2006 Associated Press CannabisNews Justice Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/justice.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #8 posted by mayan on June 26, 2006 at 17:28:39 PT 1906? Right. Assessing the gamut of illicit drugs, from heroin and cocaine to ecstasy, amphetamines and marijuana, the report concluded, "Drug control is working and the world drug problem is being contained."Levels of drug cultivation and drug addiction are much lower than they were 100 years ago, it said.Yeah, in 1906 there were gazillions of folks walking around on crack,meth and ecstasy! Actually, there wan't much a "drug Problem" until the war on some drugs began! [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by whig on June 26, 2006 at 15:47:58 PT mai_bong_city I think natural coca (and opium) can be very good for some things and people have used them for thousands of years without harm. The same can't be said for cocaine and heroin, unfortunately. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by mai_bong_city on June 26, 2006 at 11:06:57 PT tea-totaller well i must say yay to tea of all types....plant medicines is such an amazing thing....i am sipping coca tea right now and i am enjoying this and the benefits to my body and mind.... i love a lot of hemp stuff - the oil, the seed, anything that can be made from it, and how it helps... i've also had some other herbs and plant products that native cultures have used for centuries and i can say they are light-years ahead of this pharmaceutical industry.... true vision. i am thankful for the blessings of nature. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Max Flowers on June 26, 2006 at 09:28:19 PT A suggestion for State "Afghanistan's huge drug trade severely impacts efforts to rebuild the economy, develop a strong democratic government based on rule of law, and threatens regional stability," the State Department report said.Gee, sounds like a bad situation, State Department. Maybe you should talk to your buddies over at CIA about this, SEEING AS HOW THEY DO A WHOLE LOT OF OPIUM BUSINESS WITH THOSE SAME FOLKS!! [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by global_warming on June 26, 2006 at 08:36:28 PT Could hemp be the hot new healthy ingredient? http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?id=68669"She certainly believes attitudes to hemp should lighten up. It's a shame it gets negative press it is amazing you can get all these properties from a plant. There is no need to add anything to the tea. It's all natural. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by whig on June 26, 2006 at 08:34:10 PT Afghanistan So let's see. Afghanistan opium production increased 239% in 2004. Then it reduced 5% in 2005. This is progress? [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Sam Adams on June 26, 2006 at 07:52:17 PT What a joke! What a bunch of self-congratulatory lies! Pure lies. There is less addiction than there was 100 years ago? That's an absurd suggestion. No one knows how much drug addiction there was 100 years ago. Even in the US, one of most advanced countries in the world in 1900, most people lived in rural areas. Medical records consisted of the memory of the local doctor, or the members of your family that cared for you.I can see why some people are so against the UN. Just another layer of corruption and lying. It's like a weak roof in a snowstorm. Every bit of additional corruption leeching away the basic productivity of the human race is like another snowflake on the roof. Everything will seem fine, right up until the entire system is overwhelmed, and the roof comes crashing down. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on June 26, 2006 at 07:49:58 PT Cannabis is Popular Just Like Coffee I agree with John Walters that Cannabis is an end unto itself. Other drugs can really hurt a person but cannabis can really help people.Consumption of marijuana, the most widely used illicit drug, continued to increase, the study said. 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