re: Does the US (or other countries) attempt to destroy poppy fields in Middle East?

quote:

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We all know heroin comes from poppy plants and I found an absurd stat that 90% of the poppy/opium supply comes from Afghanistan. I feel like that would create an easy target to destroy. Am I wrong?

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you're not. when the Taliban had control pre-911 heroin had a supply issue. when we caused it to fall via war, the supply increased (a big reason why it's coming back so hard now). you've never seen the pics of US soldiers protecting/paroling in poppy fields?





cost of doing business with the tribal elders

Needless to say, I don't think anyone will be messing with the opium market in Afghanistan anytime soon.

Meanwhile its a $50 billion dollar industry in Mexico, and costs however many millions of dollars, thousands of lives, and incarcerated more thousands every year here in the US. It also employs equal amounts of LEO with the sole mission of destroying heroin and opiates, but that's another conspiracy for another day.

Eta- as SFP said, ISIS may be the wild car here.

Unless you have a way to supplement that lost income, you'd be doing more harm than good. I guess only a couple of people in this thread understand it isn't a simple issue. I'll try and simplify it while I'm getting gas.

Benefit:
Less illicit drugs coming from rag heads
Less drug money going to them

Cost:
Eradication
Policing
Feeding the people who can't buy food anymore
Coming up with, implementation of, and training people of other legitimate occupations
Ensuring continued employment opportunities
More angry, poor rag heads
More cultivation shifting to central and South America
European poppies being grown in another country (vicious cycle)

Ever heard of the old Mel Gibson movie " Air America"? It's a comedy based on CIA in cahoots with the drug lords of the SE Asian Golden Triangle to export opium during the Viet Nam and Korean wars era.

Don't forget Iran-Contra and Colonel Oliver North during Reagan years with the cocaine imported into Los Angeles and responsible for the introduction of crack so the CIA could "influence" both S.American and Middle Eastern politics.

I can guarantee the CIA is heavily involved in the Afghani opium trade today. Black Bag funding for all sorts of off-the-books activities by our governments (local, state, federal, all 3) depends on drug trade.

This stuff's been going on longer than 99% of the OT's posters have been alive. It runs from the Oval Office down through your local Chamber of Commerce and it's not going away any time in our lifetimes.