D_Raay
03-02-2005, 01:26 PM
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/story.jsp?story=615995
Britain is facing a massive influx of heroin because Afghanistan has produced its largest crop of opium since the overthrow of the Taliban.
The production of opium poppies - used to make heroin - rose by 17 per cent in the past year despite a series of international anti-drugs initiatives co-ordinated by Britain. Drug experts from the United Nations warned yesterday that Afghanistan was in danger of becoming a "narco-state" and the level of opium production was "threatening the stability of the country".
A UN report, published today, shows that not only did opium production rise by 800 tons last year to 4,200 tons but the area under poppy cultivation rose from 80,000 hectares to 130,000 hectares.
The report also warns that Britain has the largest heroin seizure rate in Europe and the third highest number of heroin addicts. Cocaine abuse also appears to be on the increase in Britain, the UN study found.
Police and customs are extremely concerned at the hike in Afghan production because the country produces about 90 per cent of the heroin sold in Britain.
Britain is already suffering from record amounts of heroin entering the country, with prices of the narcotic - a good indicator of availability - at an all-time low. Heroin prices fell to £26 a gram compared with £83 a gram in 1995, according to a survey published last month.
The prospect of a fresh influx of heroin into Britain is a blow to the Government and law enforcement agencies which have been focusing their attention on class A drugs. There are an estimated 156,000 regular heroin users in the UK.
The huge growth in drug production in Afghanistan and the increased power of the warlords is also deeply worrying for the governments that backed the war in Afghanistan and the overthrow of the Taliban. The Afghan government, which was elected in October, has pledged to eliminate the production of illicit crops within 10 years.
But the annual drugs report by the International Narcotics Control Board, which is part of the UN, concludes: "In Afghanistan, illicit drug production and related activities reached an unprecedented level in 2004 and are threatening the stability of the country. Widespread cultivation of opium poppy and the processing of and trafficking of opiates has transformed Afghanistan into a country in which the economy, the culture and the political life are dominated by the illicit drug trade."
Professor Hamid Ghodse, president of the control board, said: "If it is not going to be a narcotics state, which is a risk, then Afghanistan needs to do very urgent action in eradication and alternative development."
The annual record for heroin production in Afghanistan is 4,600 tons, set in 1999. But production fell dramatically after poppy cultivation was banned by the deposed Taliban regime. Now the Taliban have gone, the country has re-established itself as the world's leading exporter of illicit drugs.
Drug abuse has also risen among the Afghan population, with increasing numbers injecting themselves with heroin, the report says.
Afghanistan has also become a major supplier of cannabis resin. Large quantities of drugs are being smuggled into western Europe via Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria. The UN report warns that expansion of the European Union last year from 15 to 25 states may make life easier for drug traffickers.
"The board is concerned that the enlargement of the EU membership may lead to a weakening of existing import or export controls throughout Europe," it said.
Gross mistreatment of women or a country of drug abusers and/or creators?
Hey, the Taliban had the opium traffic under control, until Bush and Blair kicked them out.
Of course, when you recall that the infamous Skull & Bones clique was originally founded with opium money, maybe increased access to opium is what the Bush family really wanted all along.
Britain is facing a massive influx of heroin because Afghanistan has produced its largest crop of opium since the overthrow of the Taliban.
The production of opium poppies - used to make heroin - rose by 17 per cent in the past year despite a series of international anti-drugs initiatives co-ordinated by Britain. Drug experts from the United Nations warned yesterday that Afghanistan was in danger of becoming a "narco-state" and the level of opium production was "threatening the stability of the country".
A UN report, published today, shows that not only did opium production rise by 800 tons last year to 4,200 tons but the area under poppy cultivation rose from 80,000 hectares to 130,000 hectares.
The report also warns that Britain has the largest heroin seizure rate in Europe and the third highest number of heroin addicts. Cocaine abuse also appears to be on the increase in Britain, the UN study found.
Police and customs are extremely concerned at the hike in Afghan production because the country produces about 90 per cent of the heroin sold in Britain.
Britain is already suffering from record amounts of heroin entering the country, with prices of the narcotic - a good indicator of availability - at an all-time low. Heroin prices fell to £26 a gram compared with £83 a gram in 1995, according to a survey published last month.
The prospect of a fresh influx of heroin into Britain is a blow to the Government and law enforcement agencies which have been focusing their attention on class A drugs. There are an estimated 156,000 regular heroin users in the UK.
The huge growth in drug production in Afghanistan and the increased power of the warlords is also deeply worrying for the governments that backed the war in Afghanistan and the overthrow of the Taliban. The Afghan government, which was elected in October, has pledged to eliminate the production of illicit crops within 10 years.
But the annual drugs report by the International Narcotics Control Board, which is part of the UN, concludes: "In Afghanistan, illicit drug production and related activities reached an unprecedented level in 2004 and are threatening the stability of the country. Widespread cultivation of opium poppy and the processing of and trafficking of opiates has transformed Afghanistan into a country in which the economy, the culture and the political life are dominated by the illicit drug trade."
Professor Hamid Ghodse, president of the control board, said: "If it is not going to be a narcotics state, which is a risk, then Afghanistan needs to do very urgent action in eradication and alternative development."
The annual record for heroin production in Afghanistan is 4,600 tons, set in 1999. But production fell dramatically after poppy cultivation was banned by the deposed Taliban regime. Now the Taliban have gone, the country has re-established itself as the world's leading exporter of illicit drugs.
Drug abuse has also risen among the Afghan population, with increasing numbers injecting themselves with heroin, the report says.
Afghanistan has also become a major supplier of cannabis resin. Large quantities of drugs are being smuggled into western Europe via Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria. The UN report warns that expansion of the European Union last year from 15 to 25 states may make life easier for drug traffickers.
"The board is concerned that the enlargement of the EU membership may lead to a weakening of existing import or export controls throughout Europe," it said.
Gross mistreatment of women or a country of drug abusers and/or creators?
Hey, the Taliban had the opium traffic under control, until Bush and Blair kicked them out.
Of course, when you recall that the infamous Skull & Bones clique was originally founded with opium money, maybe increased access to opium is what the Bush family really wanted all along.