Afghan drug-fighting efforts failing- lawmakers

[maddezmom]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers told the Bush administration on Tuesday the program to fight Afghanistan's poppy trade appeared on the brink of failure, which they said would undermine work to stabilize the country and spread more drugs throughout the world.

Administration officials acknowledged disappointment in the program so far, but asked for patience in the effort they said would be long term and expensive.

"We are not only disappointed, but deeply concerned by our results to date," Nancy Powell, acting assistant secretary of state for the bureau of narcotics, told the House of Representatives Appropriations subcommittee on foreign aid.

"I'm afraid our drug policy in Afghanistan has been an utter, abject, total failure," said Rep. Don Sherwood (news, bio, voting record), a Pennsylvania Republican. "Whatever we've been doing flat hasn't worked, and I think it's a national disgrace."

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