The Afghanistan Poppy.

[cbloom]

[ QUOTE ]

He said that all the UN has to do to stop the war in Afghanistan is to legalise their poppy crop for use in the world pharmacutical markets. Once the money starts rolling in the warlords will lose or willingly give up their power. It seems that the UK is trying to head down this path.


[/ QUOTE ]

This is totally wrong. The problems in Afghanistan go back to ancient tribal rivalries and religious factions. Their whole culture is based on a system of near-anarchy with only the jirgas and vendetta codes providing order.

Now it is true that without the poppies they would be incredibly poor which would hurt their ability to buy arms, but Al Qaeda / Iran / etc. would step up to help out. Actually it would probably make it much easier for the Taliban to retake the country since they have better foreign funding than the local warlords.

[MR EPI]

Here an Australian poppy grower chimes in.
http://www.poppies.org/news/99742218366555.shtml

[HP]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
On a not so slightly related note, RE: Africa Aid, wouldn't it be great if westerners went into an impoverished country, bought up all their crops for a fair price then gave them away for free to the locals?


[/ QUOTE ]

YES! FINALLY A GOOD IDEA! Afterwards we can all just ride our unicorns to the end of the rainbow and buy the leprechaun's gold for twice the market rate!

[/ QUOTE ]

so...

I'll take that as a 'nah i'm not into charity' ?

[AngusThermopyle]

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The big problem is that the US has a large protected poppy industry that would obviously be in trouble if this came about.
.....
Thoughts? Am I totally off base here?

[/ QUOTE ]

You have any source for this?

I really don't think the US has any poppy opium industry. I believe they import most of their licit opium from Turkey and India.

[wet work]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

The big problem is that the US has a large protected poppy industry that would obviously be in trouble if this came about.
.....
Thoughts? Am I totally off base here?

[/ QUOTE ]

You have any source for this?

I really don't think the US has any poppy opium industry. I believe they import most of their licit opium from Turkey and India.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think that's what he had to mean, we are certainly not cultivating poppy here in the USA. Other than perhaps small illicit crops.

The seeds are legal to buy though, unlike buds, and a lot of little old ladies grow them because they area beautiful flower. I was reading some book a couple yrears ago and it claimed that no case has ever been to trial over anyone growing poppies in say their yard. I think it has to be proven you were growing them with the expressed intent on harvesting them for illicit purposes. That may be wrong though, but the book seemed pretty legit otherwise and it seemed plausible.

[NajdorfDefense]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

The big problem is that the US has a large protected poppy industry that would obviously be in trouble if this came about.
.....
Thoughts? Am I totally off base here?

[/ QUOTE ]

You have any source for this?

I really don't think the US has any poppy opium industry. I believe they import most of their licit opium from Turkey and India.

[/ QUOTE ]

There is no 'poppy industry' in the US. It was an absurd comment. Bona fide florists need permits just to import 1-2 a year. I'm pro-legalization [never happen] so I don't really care either way.

Real issue: The US should stop setting milk price supports based on the distance you are from Eau Claire, Wisconsin. As they've been doing for virtually 100 years now. In fact, you can be sued if you try to sell milk at a 'lower price' than the USDA sets to poorer markets in LA, Miami, Houston, etc. One dairy farmer who was selling to Costco just lost a $3m+ lawsuit over this recently in Calif.

[adsman]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

The big problem is that the US has a large protected poppy industry that would obviously be in trouble if this came about.
.....
Thoughts? Am I totally off base here?

[/ QUOTE ]

You have any source for this?

I really don't think the US has any poppy opium industry. I believe they import most of their licit opium from Turkey and India.

[/ QUOTE ]

There is no 'poppy industry' in the US. It was an absurd comment. Bona fide florists need permits just to import 1-2 a year. I'm pro-legalization [never happen] so I don't really care either way.



[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, my bad. I directly quoted from the person that I was having the conversation with, without checking up on it. Next time I'll actually make it a quote, (or check it out, obviously.).

[TheCommieBear]

The heroin price in Europe has been halfed after the US invaded Afghanistan.

[NajdorfDefense]

in USD terms or Euro terms?
Link?

[wet work]

I'd imagine the purity at the street level is higher too.