In the news today, June 22, 2003, a story from London's Independent newspaper reports that Afghanistan has regained its title as the world's biggest heroin dealer. It says:

"Afghanistan is still the source of almost all of the heroin sold in London, even though Britain has poured millions [of taxpayers dollars] into [supposedly] trying to stamp out the war-wrecked country's resurgent drugs production business."

"Opium poppies are springing up from the plains to the mountains of Afghanistan in far higher quantities than in the final year of the Taliban, which the USA and Britain overthrew, while vowing to end the region's narcotics trade. Opium - from which heroin is extracted - is produced on farms only a few dozen miles from the capital city of Kabul, headquarters to the international effort to end the heroin trade and rebuild the country."

"...The cultivation of opium reached its peak in 1999, when 225,000 acres - 350 square miles - of poppies were sown... The following year the Taliban banned poppy cultivation, declaring it to be "un-Islamic" - a move which cut production by 94 per cent... By 2001 only 30 square miles of land were in use for growing opium poppies. A year later, after American and British troops had removed the Taliban and installed the interim government, the land under cultivation leapt back to 285 square miles, with Afghanistan supplanting Burma to become the world's largest opium producer once more."

Britain on top of heroin league (all of it comes from Afghanistan). Sunday Times, Feb 27, 2005

Opium trade booms in "basket case" Afghanistan. Independent, Jul 28, 2004
The opium harvest in Afghanistan this year will be one of the biggest on record, the Foreign Office said yesterday, and it has triggered a flood of heroin on Britain's streets. The revelation will prove highly embarrassing for Tony Blair, who cited cutting the supply of heroin as one of the main reasons for the invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001...the consequences of the rise were already evident: cheaper, better quality heroin was arriving in Britain, luring thousands more youngsters into addiction than ever before..."The rise in cultivation and production of opium poppies in Afghanistan has horrendous portents for us in the UK bearing in mind the PM's statement that 90 per cent of heroin sold on British streets comes from Afghanistan".

Heroin poppy threatens Afghanistan (thriving under UN control). BBC, Mar 22, 2004. Go to 6.Super-States

UK may ban smoking in public (chief med advisor warns of 'passive smoking for children'). ThisIsLondon, Jul 3, 2003. Go to 22.Doublethink & 2.Big Brother & DRUG WAR & PEACE

3,000 troops to Afghanistan (to fight non-existent enemy). National Post, Jun 28, 2003. Go to 12.Ministry of Peace (War) & ARMY TO AFGHANISTAN & BOSNIA?

Afghanistan world's biggest heroin dealer (poppies springing up everywhere in midst of Western armies). Independent, Jun 22, 2003. Go to 35.The Brotherhood & 23.The Proles

IN AFGHAN FIELDS THE POPPIES GROW

DRUG WAR & PEACE

AFGHANISTAN REMEMBERED