Afghan Poppy Growing Reaches Record Level, U.N. Says (US seen as helping)

[Whoa_Nelly]

(Two page article)

KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 18 - Poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, the source of most of the opium and heroin on Europe's streets, was up sharply this year, reaching the highest levels in the country's history and in the world, the United Nations announced on Thursday.

<snip>
More than 321,236 acres of land were planted with poppy in 2004, a 64 percent increase over last year, the United Nations survey found. Poppy has spread to every province in the country, it said.

<snip>
His (Karzai) administration has included known drug lords, and many of his provincial governors, police and army chiefs are widely rumored to profit from the trade, diplomats and Afghan officials acknowledge. Commanders of the powerful Northern Alliance, which with American help overthrew the Taliban in 2001, continue to profit from the trade in northeastern Badakhshan Province.

<snip>
But international assistance has been inadequate and ill focused, Mr. Rubin says. "U.S. cooperation with warlords and militia leaders tied to trafficking has sent the wrong signal about the U.S. commitment to combating narcotics," he said.

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http://tinyurl.com/4ct9g

[mike_c]

1. CIA must need money....

eom

[VivaKerry]

2. Well, this will take care of the european union in due time.

EVIL!!!

I hope the bush twins enjoy all their lovely x-mas presents this year. Bought and paid for with drug money.

[havocmom]

3. Gonna make all the crack dumped on inner cities in the 80s look like

prohibition. Gotta have zero tolerance and 3 strikes you are out combined with lots of drugs and too much unemployment to get prison populations up! Lots of private corporations running prisons now. Lots of corporations using extremely cheap prison labor.

It is a win/win situation for the neocon/Corporatist Party. Huge voting blocks in urban blue states will be felons and no longer voting. There will be a whole lotta cheap and controlled labor for manufacturing that which they do not wanna outsource. Prison For Profit Corporations get paid from the taxes paid by family members of drug users serving life. Less rabble running around loose and threatening the Gated Communities when the Soylant Green runs out.

[Moderator]

4. Duplicate topic

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1001169