NationStates Jolt Archive

Opium that is. This article in Slate magazine proposes an interesting solution to the Afghan poppy problem. Just legalize poppy growing, require the US to buy a percentage of it's medicinal opiates like codeine and morphine from Afghanistan, and now the poor farmers get to make a living and the nation of Afghanistan gets income by taxing them. The taliban, deprived of drug money, can then go fuck themselves.

http://www.slate.com/id/2157644/

Sounds like a plan. Sign me up.

A very interesting and novel solution. Doubt it'll ever lift off the ground though.

I will agree with the other posters that this plan seems to be too logical and intelligent to ever be implemented.

Full agreement.

...and I will advertise it...

Peter Tosh.

I will agree with the other posters that this plan seems to be too logical and intelligent to ever be implemented.

Excellent summation.

Opium that is. This article in Slate magazine proposes an interesting solution to the Afghan poppy problem. Just legalize poppy growing, require the US to buy a percentage of it's medicinal opiates like codeine and morphine from Afghanistan, and now the poor farmers get to make a living and the nation of Afghanistan gets income by taxing them. The taliban, deprived of drug money, can then go fuck themselves.

http://www.slate.com/id/2157644/

Makes sense to me.

Incidentally, this would also work on all the big drug cartels and a vast amount of organized and street crime in the US.

It's gotta come from somewhere...



mmm...opium...it is such a good thing I have no idea where to score some of that...

It's gotta come from somewhere...



mmm...opium...it is such a good thing I have no idea where to score some of that...

Some folks get around the whole "illegal" thing by buying dried poppy heads from florists and then making tea. I know of one case of an overdose though.

Some folks get around the whole "illegal" thing by buying dried poppy heads from florists and then making tea. I know of one case of an overdose though.

Smacks of effort...

Smacks of effort...

Yeah, making tea is a real pain in the ass.

From what I hear it would be to late to do that. The warlords in Afghanistan have been raking in so much money that could afford to upgrade their production facilities and can now process opium to produce Heroin and export the finished product at a higher profit.

edit: The USA doesn't care about opium smuggling. They knew it was going on when they invaded Afghanistan. What's more they knew it was going on at an official level. The majority opium smuggled out Afghanistan goes via Uzbek government vehicles across Afghanistan's northern border. But no, the USA cared more about its war of terror and overlooked the drug smuggling so they could take control of Karshi-Khanabad Airbase in southern Uzbekistan.

From what I hear it would be to late to do that. The warlords in Afghanistan have been raking in so much money that could afford to upgrade their production facilities and can now process opium to produce Heroin and export the finished product at a higher profit.
And the US wants to put them out of business? But they're embracing capitalism!

Well, if they're making heroin, why not just legalize that too and tax it as well? Make even more money and do even more damage to the Taliban. I think it would work quite well.

And the US wants to put them out of business? But they're embracing capitalism!Naw, the US just simply doesn't care. They got bigger fish to fry, hang, decapitate, whatever.