[font=Verdana]I watched 60 minutes last night (Australian version) and they did a story on the Opium trade in [/font][font=Verdana]Afghanistan[/font][font=Verdana].[/font]
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[font=Verdana]This was completely new to me and I was somewhat amazed by it.[/font]
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[font=Verdana]They stated that:[/font]
[font=Verdana][/font][font=Verdana]2/3 of the worlds Opium is grow in [/font][font=Verdana]Afghanistan[/font][font=Verdana].[/font]
[font=Verdana][/font][font=Verdana]It accounts for 50% of the countries trade.[/font]
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[font=Verdana][/font][font=Verdana]They showed massive fields of it everywhere……… They have a drug task force that goes around with tractors and guns… It is illegal to grow yet all they do is plough half of your field, so that you can continue to support your family off it.[/font]
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[font=Verdana][/font][font=Verdana]They had one man with massive fields who said that he makes $2000 a year off them… That was enough to support his whole family of 10 kids.[/font]
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[font=Verdana][/font][font=Verdana]These fields line a major highway that is used by the Largest American base over there… The [/font][font=Verdana]US[/font][font=Verdana] drives past it every day….[/font]
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[font=Verdana][/font][font=Verdana]When traveling they have to pass through US inspection points, if you are found with guns you are detained and interrogated, if you are found with opium it is confiscated and you are free to go.[/font]
[font=Verdana]If you were caught in the [/font][font=Verdana]US[/font][font=Verdana] with the bags of Opium they carry you would get life in prison.[/font]
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[font=Verdana]Given the problem with heron and crack in the western world, a high [/font][font=Verdana]US[/font][font=Verdana] official was asked why don’t you just destroy the fields and solve your drug problem.[/font]
[font=Verdana][/font][font=Verdana]His answer was that they were there for terrorists, not opium. That if they destroyed the fields, they would just replant them.[/font]
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[font=Verdana][/font][font=Verdana]Now a better answer would have been that given most of the [/font][font=Verdana]Afghanistan[/font][font=Verdana] people are supporting themselves with opium, if they took that away half of the country would have no money to feed their families and they would starve.[/font]
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[font=Verdana][/font][font=Verdana]*******[/font]
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[font=Verdana]This brings me to what I see as a simple solution but know it will never happen.[/font]
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[font=Verdana]Pay them the $2000 bucks each that they would make off their opium field, on condition that they grow wheat or something else in their fields.[/font]
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[font=Verdana]Ok paying ten of thousands of people $2000 a year so that they don’t grow opium may sound like a lot of money, but compare that to the savings.[/font]
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[font=Verdana]1 farmer would supply enough opium to drug up over 1000 people a year. Each one of these people steel, and rob, they get caught by the police, taken to court, taken to prison.[/font]
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[font=Verdana][/font][font=Verdana]Think about how much it cost for just one drug user, police, judges, lawyers, sheriffs, general court staff, prison space, prison staff etc etc…. Each drug user would cost well over $1000 each to process.[/font]
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[font=Verdana][/font][font=Verdana]So given that each farmer with supply enough opium to drug up over 1000 people, that these 1000 people will cost over $1000 each, that’s over $1 million dollars a year it will cost the US just because of this one farmer.[/font]
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[font=Verdana]So pay him $2000 a year and save $998,000 a year on dealing with the problem back home.[/font]
[font=Verdana]Now while these figures are rough, and simplifies the situation a great deal, it’s not hard to see that the [/font][font=Verdana]US[/font][font=Verdana] would save a great deal of money……[/font]
