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Why doesn't the USA buy the Afghan poppies, process them into meds, and distribute them to the poor?

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Truth2Tell Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-13-08 01:39 AM
Original message
Why doesn't the USA buy the Afghan poppies, process them into meds, and distribute them to the poor?
A reader over at Andrew Sullivan's blog asks one of those "easier said than done" questions. And yet it all seems so logical.

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/12/easier-said-t-1.html#more">A reader writes:

Opiate painkilling drugs are in critically short supply across the developing world. So why doesn't the USA just buy the Afghan poppy harvest, process it into painkilling meds, and distribute them to poor countries?

1. This would cut off the Taliban's chief source of funding.

2. It would put the average Afghan farmer on the side of the US-supported government instead of the Taliban.

3. It would play to our strength -- money. The Taliban has more local knowledge, more time, more patience, more willingness to shed innocent blood. But we have more money. They might be able to outfight us, out-corrupt us, or out-terrorize us, but they can't outbid us.

4. It would put the US on record as alleviating suffering all over the world.

5. By fighting the Taliban with dollars instead of (as many) soldiers, we'd suffer a lot fewer killed and maimed Americans.

6. It might even be cheaper. Soldiers, tanks, planes, humvees, night vision goggles, bullets, Predator drones, etc. are really, really, expensive.


Of course I think the actual answer to this question is that we essentially already do - in the form of CIA affiliated criminal gangs and NATO allied warlords. The Taliban is left to scrape by with less than 20% of the Opium harvest. And everyone makes a whole lot more money selling heroin in Europe than we could ever make selling actual pain medication - even at market price - never mind for cheap. In fact this whole business could well be a large factor in our continued presence there.

But that's the cynical view. Maybe the poster has a good idea? :shrug:

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leftstreet Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-13-08 01:41 AM
Response to Original message
1. Well, you answered your own question...
Of course I think the actual answer to this question is that we essentially already do - in the form of CIA affiliated criminal gangs and NATO allied warlords. The Taliban is left to scrape by with less than 20% of the Opium harvest. And everyone makes a whole lot more money selling heroin in Europe than we could ever make selling actual pain medication - even at market price - never mind for cheap. In fact this whole business could well be a large factor in our continued presence there.

But it's an interesting one all the same.
:hi:
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Doctor Cynic Donating Member (965 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-13-08 01:44 AM
Response to Original message
2. This is what Turkey did to fight their problem, but it led to massive stockpiles.
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Truth2Tell Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-13-08 01:47 AM
Response to Reply #2
3. What's wrong with massive stockpiles of painkillers?
Maybe they should have dispersed it free to poor nations?

It sounds like there is a shortage:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/10/health/10pain.html?_r=2
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provis99 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-13-08 01:49 AM
Response to Original message
4. I blame Christian fundamentalism.
Their neanderthal anti-drug attitudes run this nations drug policy.
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pinto Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-13-08 02:01 AM
Response to Reply #4
6. Ah, I think you're off base with that. Resistance to real world drug policy seems to run the gamut
of political ideology.
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MH1 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-13-08 08:02 AM
Response to Reply #6
13. True, but it seems to me
the "Christian" fundamentalists are the ones pouring the most gasoline on the fire. Their message explicitly requires people to stop thinking stuff like this through.
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pinto Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-13-08 01:58 AM
Response to Original message
5. Interesting outside the box idea. And agree, "easier said than done".
Legal, prescribed opiates, iirc, are fairly cheap. Heroin has a big mark-up, though, due to the number of hands involved along the chain of supply, and, of course, it's illegality.

One other idea, "easier said than done", is to buy up the supply at a fair price and destroy it. That would not address opiate availability for pain relief, but would be a political coup of sorts and decrease secondary infections relative to banging tar heroin, especially wound botulism or OD's due to varying grades of white heroin.

Coupled with real world opiate legislation, it would be an interesting arrangement.

Easier said than done.
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MH1 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-13-08 08:11 AM
Response to Reply #5
14. "Outside the box"? I think it's actually the obvious solution.
Edited on Sat Dec-13-08 08:12 AM by MH1
I've posted a couple times that we ought to do that. But people's minds apparently have been so twisted that they can't even see what's right in front of them.

We also have a painkiller problem in this country, as described by me to a doctor. The problem is that because of the abuse potential, doctors are scrutinized very closely for suspected over prescribing of painkillers. But the protocols aren't adequate (in his opinion) for some of the patients he sees. So he can either under-prescribe (in his judgment), leaving the patient in pain, or risk harassment (or worse) for over-prescribing.

We need a compassionate response to addiction AND responsible use of painkillers in this country. (And by responsible I mean to include letting dying and very debilitated people have what they need, not what some bureaucrat thinks they need.) But that would get in the way of the profiteering by the prison industrial complex and/or the pharmaceutical industrial complex.

The only "box" this idea is outside of, is the box of the profiteering machinery of the pharmaceutical industry. (And maybe of the prison industry and the CIA.)

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krispos42 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-13-08 02:02 AM
Response to Original message
7. But... but... but...
Then who would we drop bombs on, silly?


:-)
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pinto Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-13-08 02:22 AM
Response to Reply #7
8. LOL. The '1984' meme applies, perhaps.
There must always be an enemy.
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krispos42 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-13-08 02:31 AM
Response to Reply #8
9. "We have always been at war with the Northern Alliance"
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RC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-13-08 07:33 AM
Response to Reply #7
10. We might even have to resort to dropping bombs on wedding parties in this country.
How many #2 terrorists do we have outside the White House?
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Vinca Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-13-08 07:47 AM
Response to Original message
11. It would never work unless you allow BIG PHARMA in on the deal.
Maybe if you let them screw the Afghan farmers out of the poppies in order to make obscene profits . . .
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MH1 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-13-08 08:00 AM
Response to Original message
12. Because it's the obvious, intelligent, and compassionate solution.
And that set of words has absolutely no relation to the current (but thank god soon to be exiting) US regime.

I'm sure there are complicating factors (like that whole CIA thing) but I guess my enthusiasm for Obama is somewhat bated until I see whether intelligent decisions (like this one) start flowing from his administration. If stupidity in handling of Afghan opium (and other tentacles of the drug war) simply continue in similar form, I'll know that a) either the system is simply too rotted for even Obama to change, or b) Obama doesn't get it or doesn't want to get it.

(But I do support Obama in general because even if he blows it on this problem - which I am afraid he will, but hoping he won't - there's a bunch of other things where he certainly will be a huge improvement.)
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MH1 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-13-08 08:14 AM
Response to Original message
15. K & R
This is an idea that should get more discussion.

(Actually it should just be implemented, but who am I kidding?)
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Truth2Tell Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-13-08 01:29 PM
Response to Reply #15
16. Maybe in a sane world? nt
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MH1 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-13-08 03:19 PM
Response to Reply #16
17. Yeah, too bad that's not the world we live in. nt
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dysfunctional press Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-13-08 03:41 PM
Response to Original message
18. i take 50-70mg. of methadone every day for chronic pain, as well as a vicoprofen or three...
going on 14 years now...

opiates are actually one of the safest, most benign to the body medications there is for long time use.
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