Afghanistan's Drug Problem

[davidbfpo]

JMA asked:

I'm trying to figure out the reason why Afghanistan was allowed to develop into a narc state.

We have talked around the subject of Afghanistan and narcotics, IIRC on several threads, but not

why Afghanistan was allowed to develop into a narc state..

I am not an expert on the issue, so from the comfort of a faraway "armchair" here goes.

Afghanistan has always grown narcotics, I suspect heroin production is a relatively new phenomenon (will look for clues another time) and for a very long time neither external powers (neighbours mainly), let alone those with internal power have sought to hamper production. It is not an area that lends itself naturally to heroin poppy cultivation, I recall back in the 1970's the focus was on 'The Golden Triangle', but it shares a lack of good governance.

Roll-on the Soviet invasion and the campaign against them. Growing heroin then became a resistance enabler, nay an Islamic duty (dispite the Koran's stricures on narcotics) and quickly became a veritable money machine. Read Gretchen Peter's book 'Seeds of Terror: How Heroin is Bankrolling the Taliban and Al Qaeda' for far more detail and opinion (and a thread on the book: ).

Note that in Helmand Province the "breadbasket" for poppy cultivation the original 'Cold War' era of US-sponsored irrigation and development I doubt ever considered poppies as a crop. I am sure there are reliable sources that show other crops were grown there into the Soviet era.

Post-9/11 and the West's intervention for a host of reasons, mainly political, no-one wanted to consider narcotics - again refer to Gretchen Peter's book. This part we have covered in previous threads as to why so little action was taken. 120mm in particular was "boots on the ground". The main thread being: http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...ead.php?t=1234

IMHO we decided to fight other enemies and not upset too many Afghans, from the poor farmer who sells his children when disaster strikes (eradication visitations), who may take up arms too (if paid enough or hates us) to the narco-barons and otehrs entrenched in Afghan government and more. It is one of the weaknesses - to the public - of the UK's involvement in Afghanistan that we have flunked this issue, why are we fighting and doing very little to stop heroin production? Note we share a mutual concern with heroin supply with Iran, which has millions of addicts.

Hope that helps and if others far more expert chime in hurrah.