Opium

The Obama administration is considering whether to pay off Afghan farmers to stop them from growing heroin poppies on contract for the Taliban, senior officials said Tuesday. Paying farmers not to plant poppy would essentially supplant U.S. cash for the fees paid up front by the Taliban to its contract farmers. The idea seems to follow logically from the administration's policy of protecting Afghan civilians and eroding support for the insurgency, but skeptics say it won't work because... Read Full Story

KABUL (Reuters) - The British military is mystified after what was first announced as a major haul of opium poppy seeds amounted to nothing more than a hill of beans. British troops came across a bag of seeds -- weighing 1.3 tons -- during a major operation near the provincial capital of southern Helmand last week, said a British military spokesman. The find was originally trumpeted as a big haul of opium poppy seeds. Afghanistan produces about 90 percent of the world's opium. The fight... Read Full Story

Opium-poppy eradication has been hailed as a success in much of Afghanistan’s north and east by the Karzi government and U.S. sources, allowing counternarcotics officials to declare 18 provinces there as “poppy-free” despite record opium cultivation in the south and southwest. Great news right…not… UN officials say that many former opium farmers in those poppy-free areas have switched to another lucrative and illegal drug crop: marijuana. Afghanistan is now the world’s largest producer of... Read Full Story

Past US efforts to combat the Afghan opium trade, a major source of funds for the insurgency, have been wasteful and Washington plans to revamp its strategy, a top regional envoy said Saturday. "The United States alone is spending over 800 million dollars a year on counter-narcotics. We have gotten nothing out of it, nothing," Ambassador Richard Holbrooke said, at the Brussels Forum conference. "It is the most wasteful and ineffective programme I have seen in 40 years in and out of the... Read Full Story

Past US efforts to combat the Afghan opium trade, a major source of funds for the insurgency, have been wasteful and Washington plans to revamp its strategy, a top regional envoy said Saturday. "The United States alone is spending over 800 million dollars a year on counter-narcotics. We have gotten nothing out of it, nothing," Ambassador Richard Holbrooke said, at the Brussels Forum conference. "It is the most wasteful and ineffective programme I have seen in 40 years in and out of the... Read Full Story

Afghanistan has a monopoly on global opium poppy cultivation (92 per cent), the raw material for the world’s deadliest drug – heroin. The size and impact of the opium economy in Afghanistan were documented in the Afghanistan Opium Survey 2009 published in September. Less well known, however, is the size of the opiate trade once it leaves Afghanistan, and its impact on the world. In a new report, Addiction, Crime and Insurgency: The Transnational Threat of Afghan Opium , UNODC shows the... Read Full Story

by Rose Hillton The poppy pod tea is not grandmothers ordinary breakfast beverage. Hardly a number of people even drink this concoction along with their favorite pastries. However, despite the controversies hounding it, many still take it regularly for all that makes it different from other beverages. Others say it is just as potentially dangerous as any other drug. However, others also say it just as safe as coffee unless it is taken in large amounts. Derived from the controversial... Read Full Story

By Rose Hillton It may not be found in your grandmothers breakfast menu. The common impression is that poppy pod tea should not even be considered a beverage. Anomalous or not, many still drink regularly it though for its desired results. Some would preach it is deadly like all other narcotics. However, a number also swear that, if taken moderately, is just like your milk, safe and healthy. Being an offshoot of the notorious opium poppy, the poppy pod tea is automatically an issue for... Read Full Story

By Rose Hillton Your grandmother may prefer not to have it for breakfast. For most people, poppy pod tea is hardly a choice to go along with their biscuits. Despite the contentions, however, a number still regularly drinks it for its unique effects. There are those that say that is as lethal as any illegal drug. Some, however, continue to insist that it is as harmless as coffee if taken in moderation. Derived from the controversial opium poppy, the poppy pod tea is a natural subject of... Read Full Story

by Gregory McLane This is something many don’t see everyday. People who use poppies would likely get excited upon reading this, only clarifying and reading it again - Puppies For Sale. With the legalities on the use, as well as the selling, of the product in constant scrutiny, it is just as hard to sell and and buy them. Users, who are in equal scrutiny, would most likely list down all the justifications for it. What are the Legal Aspects of Poppy Pods? Poppy pods ” having the... Read Full Story