Afghanistan's Drug Problem

[jcustis]

I propose considering setting up an agricultural marketing type board consisting of a licence fee based quoto to grow poppy by the acre (not produce opiates) which would be managed in partnership with the current powerbrokers, landowners and government (police and provincial). A set number and size of licenses would be sold annually, with the fees and number adjusted each year in order to i) reduce the current poppy cultivation by 25% in the first year compared to current levels, ii) reduce the number of licences each year over ten years to nil, iii) continue and expand eradication and alternative livelihood progrmammes, iv) produce government revenues and involvement, and finally v) implement some demand reduction measures in destination countries.

This will never be tenable, until we get a handle on the matter of corruption and nepotism across all things currently that involve GIRoA, ANSF, development, etc. I mean widespread, sweeping changes that aren't likely without a lot of time, energy, partnered commitment, and honesty.

As davidbfpo shrugs, we don't have that sort of time.

Maybe we should study what the Taliban did more closely, when they went at opium for a bit, for lessons learned.