Pubdate: Fri, 10 Dec 2004
Source: Community Press, Quinte Edition, The (CN ON)
Copyright: 2004 February 11 Interactive Publishing Ltd.
Contact: 613-395-2992
Website: http://www.communitypress-online.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1717
Author: Darko Zeljkovic

AFGHANISTAN'S WHITE POPPY BLOOMS MORE THAN EVER

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Opium 
Poppy Survey, Afghan farmers planted approximately 80,000 hectares of 
poppies in 2003, harvesting 3,600 tons of opium. This year it increased by 
30 per cent to approximately 120,000 hectares. However, because of the bad 
weather and disease production only yielded 4,200 tons.

This is ten times more than in 2001, before the war against the Taliban and 
terrorism started. Since ten kilograms of opium gives about one kilogram of 
pure heroin, if we crunch the numbers, Afghanistan's opium trade this year 
produced about 4,200 tons or 4,200,000 kilograms of opium that was 
synthesized into 420,000 kilograms of pure heroin.

In Afghanistan, one kilogram of heroin can be purchased for about $5,000 
(or cheaper if you are buying hundreds of kilograms). This same amount nets 
about $100,000 in Western markets. Despite the fact that Afghan farmers 
earn only about $300 per kilogram of opium, the drug production in 
Afghanistan is responsible for almost half of the country's Gross National 
Product (GNP).

The Afghan heroin trade feeds the European illicit drugs market and about 
90 per cent of the heroin on the streets of Great Britain comes from 
Afghanistan. When it is sold on the street for an average of $100 per gram, 
the total retail value measures over $100-billion.

Based on figures from 2003, drug trafficking constitutes "the third biggest 
global commodity in cash terms after oil and the arms trade." (The 
Independent, February 29, 2004).

"Fighting narcotics is equivalent to fighting terrorism," said Antonio 
Maria Costa, executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and 
Crime. "It would be an historical error to abandon Afghanistan to opium, 
right after we reclaimed it from the Taliban and al-Qaida."

Afghan President Hamid Karzai called fighting the narcotics industry his 
top priority, but recently opposed U.S. proposals to use crop dusters, 
citing possible risks to the health of the villagers.

"The government of Afghanistan opposes the aerial spraying of poppy fields 
as an instrument of eradication," Karzai's office in Kabul said. As I was 
reading all these surveys and listening to the stories on my trip to 
Afghanistan in September, I decided to go out and have a look myself.

The poppy season was over but the final product was still kicking around. 
Both opium and heroin could be purchased on the street. You just had to 
decide which one you preferred; the one for smoking, intended for the Asian 
market, or the cleaner looking, crystal-shaped one made for the Western 
market, packed in one-kilo bags marked with the brand name 777. You just 
had to dissolve it in water and find a healthy vein on your arm.

Since Muslim religious laws forbid drinking, many Afghan people smoke 
hashish. I left with the impression that half of the Afghan national Army 
smoked hash.

Marijuana fields were still visible around Kabul, despite the late October 
season. No law enforcement agency seemed to care about the hashish as it 
costs only about 20 cents per gram on the street. The real cash cow is heroin.

I soon realized that the opium production in Afghanistan is of interest to 
many and it is unlikely that anything will be done soon to eradicate the 
poppy in order to replace it with another crop. Besides, no other crop can 
mach profits from opium.

In its sixth year of draught, Afghanistan farmers are unable to survive 
without opium money. After more than two decades of war, the Afghan 
government is cash strapped and it would be fiscally foolish to put a stop 
to this lucrative trade.

Taliban, al-Qaida and warlords collect taxes for the safe passage of opium 
(and heroin) caravans but also sell drugs to finance their operations. The 
big drug syndicates take the advantage of the opportunity while the CIA and 
other intelligence services, (I hope I won't regret this) flirt with 
everyone in this bed made of dirty cash.
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MAP posted-by: Beth