Afghanistan mulls herbicide in drug war (AP)

[Eugene]

Afghanistan mulls herbicide in drug war

By JIM KRANE

JALALABAD, Afghanistan Sep 30, 2006 (AP)— With profits from this spring's
record opium crop fueling a broad Taliban offensive, Afghan authorities
say they are considering a once unthinkable way to deal with the scourge:
spraying poppy fields with herbicide.

Afghans including President Hamid Karzai are deeply opposed to spraying
the crop. After nearly three decades of war, Western science and
assurances can do little to assuage their fears of chemicals being dropped
from airplanes.

But U.S. officials in Kabul and Washington are pushing for it. And on
Thursday the country's top drug enforcement official said he would
contemplate spraying opium crops even with airborne crop-dusters if other
efforts fail to cut the size of the coming year's crop.

"This year, we'll wait and see how it goes. Next year, the 2008 season,
we will consider it," said Lt. Gen. Mohammed Daoud Daoud on the sidelines
of an anti-poppy gathering in Jalalabad, the ancient and verdant capital
of Nangahar province, once the heart of Afghanistan's poppy belt.

-snip-

Full article: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2512335

[Donnachaidh]

1. Karzi wants his *cut* first.

This man is garbage. I watched him on a roundtable program about bringing peace to the Middle East. The VERY FIRST thing out of his mouth was *The US needs to send us more money*

What a jerk.

[MADem]

2. U.S. officials in Kabul and Washington

are fucking assholes. Why poison the land? Why not find a more viable crop? Hell, legalize pot, let them grow that!

[ManiacJoe]

4. There is no more viable crop.

Assuming you define "more viable" as "making more money with the same or less effort/expenses". If there was, they would be growing it instead, human nature being what it is.

The real question is how do we get them to grow crops (like food) that make less money, take more effort, but are more socially redeaming/needed?

[The_Casual_Observer]

3. I would have thought that this would have been done years ago.

Had they been serious about eliminating that shit, however I doubt that they would do it since something like 50% of the economy
is based on opium.