Afghanistan Opium Production Reaches 93% of World's Supply

On Tuesday, August 28, 2007 on page A6 the New York Times International edition ran the following headline:

2nd Record Level for Afghan Opium Crop

Dateline Kabul, Afghanistan the story read:

Opium cultivation in Afghanistan grew by 17 percent in 2007, reaching record levels for the second straight year, according to a United Nations report released Monday (August 27, 2007)”.

Despite $600 million American counter narcotics effort and an increase in the number of poppy-free provinces to 13 from 6, the report found that the amount of land in Afghanistan used for opium production is now larger than the amount of land used for coca cultivation in all of Latin America.”

Afghanistan now accounts for 93 percent of the world’s opium up from 92 percent last year, the report said.

In case you didn’t catch that, “Afghanistan accounts for 93% of the world’s opium up from 92 percent last year.”

The report did not say that Afghanistan is currently occupied by the world’s most powerful country in terms of tactical and strategic fighters and bombers and countryside obliterating weapons of mass destruction and annihilation, the United States of America.

I just wanted to check and see if anyone had any further or continuing doubt that at least one of the reasons for attacking Afghanistan was to secure the safety and future of the cultivation, growing, harvesting, production, transportation and sale of illegal drugs?

I was unable to find a link to this story on the New York Times website so here is a scan from my copy (August 28, 2007 page A6):

That is news. Real news.

I remember hearing reports that opium production was on the increase since the military went in but that number really says a lot.

Either, as you say Mr. Lear, there is no "doubt that at least one of the reasons for attacking Afghanistan was to secure the safety and future of the cultivation, growing, harvesting, production, transportation and sale of illegal drugs" or it is a proven fact that army intervention does not solve this issue.

Actually i would like to push John´s post a bit further, seeing how the Afghanistan opium production totally hit rock bottom in the months BEFORE 9/11...well, anyone taking bets?

Somehow in my crazy head i see a connection here with black operations. If you need lots of money that does not show up on ANY budget there´s only two ways to do it. Drugs or off world projects like mining the moon.

So, why would anyone need insane amounts of money that does not show up on any budget? Well, let´s say one were to start something like a secret space program...that would require bundles and bundles of money and then some...

John, any more thoughts regarding were all that drug money goes?

Originally posted by tomra

John, any more thoughts regarding were all that drug money goes?

Thanks Tomra for the "rock bottom' statement. Just before I posted I couldn't find it. I knew it to be true but I couldn't find a source. I was dying to put it in.

As far as where the drug money goes; the cultivation, harvesting, production, transportation and sale of illegal drugs has been part of society since it began.

It accounts for approximately 80 percent of the economy today. That is why it is so important that drugs continue to flow. Osama and the Taliban were burning poppy fields right and left (according to one source) or holding it for ransom (according to another) but what ever the real truth the drugs were not flowing and it was the job of the United States to go in there and get the program on its feet.

It isn't so much 'where the drug money goes' its the fact that the money is flowing that is important. As long as the money is flowing it can be siphoned off anywhere along the line like the Savings and Loan sham or the Nugan Hand Bank scam. (The Nugan Hand Bank scam is how the U.S. financed the purchase of Australia from the Australian government).

That's shocking that it accounts for 80 percent of the economy. How many people in that "industry" get arrested and jailed for dealing drugs? How does that affect the economy?

What about the drug seizures that happen quite often? Are those drugs seized and then sold by the government? I'm just really interested in what's behind the whole "war on drugs" scam and some of the details are confusing to me.

I´m having some trouble finding my way back to the correct piece of documentation but the second pdf in the provided link features a graph showing some of the same trend. Obviously, getting the numbers correct in a proof_ish way requires more work than what UNODC has done and as well there might be "powers" that really would prefer a level of doubt/confusion around the subject.

UNODC - 2005 stats

Thank you for your comments John!

Added by edit : actually the second pdf from the bottom is a fairly interesting survey regarding 2001.

[edit on 2-9-2007 by tomra]

Yup, I have to concur. I seem to remember reading somewhere pre 9/11 that the Taliban punished opium farmers and forced them to grow other things---like FOOD. Now the recent news that (paraphrased) " opium production peaks due to Taliban insurgents activities to fund terrorism".
1 person lies, he is a liar. 2 or more people agree to lie, a defacto conspiracy has occured. It really hacks me off that the rip'n'read media outlets consider the majority dullards with alzheimers.

Or am I being a bit harsh?

Originally posted by annestacey

That's shocking that it accounts for 80 percent of the economy. How many people in that "industry" get arrested and jailed for dealing drugs?

Only the little guys get arrested. The "Big" guys don't get arrested unless they threaten to 'squeal'. Thats why Noriega is in jail. He threatened Bush. And thats what Operation "Just Cause" was all about.

How does that affect the economy?

Fine, just fine, thanks.

What about the drug seizures that happen quite often?

They are either setups or little guys who don't know whats going on or pay backs.

Are those drugs seized and then sold by the government? I'm just really interested in what's behind the whole "war on drugs" scam and some of the details are confusing to me.

Some of the seized drugs are recycled back into the economy some are not.

All government sponsored Anti-Drug Programs are scams.

Google the Cutolo Affidavit by Col. Edward P. Cutolo who knew he was going to be murdered because of his involvement in Operation WatchTower, the U.S. Government/U.S. Air Force sponsored drug run from South America. Read what it says.

I got one of the first copies of the Affidavit after Cutolo was murdered.

Here is the Cutolo Affidavit which outlines Operation Watchtower, a drug running operation conducted by elements of the U.S. Government from Columbia to Panama. Col. Cutolo believed that he would be murdered for his knowledge and wrote the Affidavit to be distributed on his expected death. The 'high performance aircraft were 'Sabreliners'.

www.copi.com...

Its not the drug itself that is the problem. The resulting control of the populace exerted through their dependence on the drug is the problem. Control the distribution of the most addictive substance on the face of the earth, make sure as many as possible are addicted, corner their bloodlust for the drug in the service its provider......how many doses of heroin does ~900 metric tons (or whatever crazy amount it is, I didn't check the exact figure) of opium provide?

The other thing to consider, from a conspiratorial standpoint, is the possiblity that snorted or injected opium/heroin could be used as a delivery vehicle for even more nefarious nanotech or other bio-implant control mechanisms.

This may have been with us all along, as well, since at least the time of Alexander, possibly even as far back as Ancient Egypt.

Originally posted by Icarus Rising
The other thing to consider, from a conspiratorial standpoint, is the possiblity that snorted or injected opium/heroin could be used as a delivery vehicle for even more nefarious nanotech or other bio-implant control mechanisms.

AHA! Now we're talkin' about some serious stuff. If our government puts chemicals in our food and water and tries to make us believe it's perfectly safe and healthy.... what would they put into illegal drugs?

This is definitely a topic to explore further!

reply to post by johnlear


OK, first off I want to say that I also believe that the "war on drugs" is a waste of money and just another way for this govt to scam us into believing that they are concerned for our well being. But I do not think that afghanistan's bumper crop of opium is some conspiracy.

Read these:

Bush Give Taliban $10 Million To Fight Opium

Afghanistan, Opium and the Taliban

Learning Lessons from the Taliban Opium Ban
This one is a long read but make sure you read the conlusions towards the end of the article.

Based on these articles, it leads me to believe that there is no crazy US/Opium conspiracy despite what you want to believe John.

The Afghanis are growing this because it is a huge cash crop for them. Unfortunately it is made into an illegal substance but if the US were to crack down on them and force them to stop growing these poppies we would be viewed as oppressors to their livelihood, just like the Taliban. And I'm sure that this would decrease the effectiveness of our efforts there and cascade into a host of other problems cited in the last article.

I appreciate your effort John, but IMO you are looking for a conspiracy that isn't there.

Edited for grammer

[edit on 3-9-2007 by scooler1]

Originally posted by scooler1

I appreciate your effort John, but IMO you are looking for a conspiracy that isn't there.

It would be my sincerest desire that you are correct. Thanks for the post.

John,

No arguments here, but I always thought Afghanistan was for the pipeline, and the opium crop was just the icing on the cake for the CIA...

Originally posted by gottago

John,

No arguments here, but I always thought Afghanistan was for the pipeline, and the opium crop was just the icing on the cake for the CIA...

Thanks gottago, I acutally forgot about the pipeline for a second. Of course the pipeline was a major factor in the war. But I think the poppies were more than just icing on the cake. And now that you've jogged my memory on the pipeline, the threat to Iran makes much more sense. Thanks again.

Originally posted by johnlear

now that you've jogged my memory on the pipeline, the threat to Iran makes much more sense. Thanks again.

Yes a wicked brew indeed. This all falls in with all the nasty business the US is fomenting in that crescent of -stans to Russia's southeast border, and which makes Putin so coldly eloquent now and again about our intentions in a much broader area of the ME than Israel's backyard.

take care

The snake has many heads. The black ops guys depend on the heroin money to finance the mssions that they cannot get money for legally. They also gain intelligence from a world of smugglers and associates that may have ties to really dangerous people, like the few real terrorists in the world who might use weapons aganist us. They, the CIA, etc. are like sucker fish that cling to a shark; they feed off the bits that float by while they watch the show from safety.

The governments of the world could have stamped out opium poppy production ages ago; but they would not.Too much money at stake. The really big players on earth. like the Bush's, need markets that give them vast cash reserves and they fear no legal trouble due to entrenched and corrupt officials at all levels. The Taliban had a MORAL duty to wipe out the poppies, all except for medical use, as a means of Ismalacizing Afghanistan. When they got too effective and did not play the game like the Bush boys always did, with winks and nods and suitcases full of cash, they decided to go to war with them and take their country!! Done deal!!

Iran has a problem with heroin and that benefits the USA. The black ops boys LOVE to see degredation of the populace in an ' enemy ' nation and we no doubt are smuggling tons of that stuff into Iran as we speak to destabilize the nation even more. The solution, of course, would be to take away ALL legal penalties for heroin and all other drugs and manage them at an official level or a free market basis.

Immediately, right now, if heroin were to be given to addicts, the few long term junkies that are beyond repair and do not want to change, we would see the instant reduction in crime associated with drug abuse: Thefts would stop, murders for drugs would stop, cops could concentrate on real crimes..Medical help and not jails would change the world.

BUT, that does NOT make money for the entire bureaucracy that profits in the billions ever year from continued prohibition. The big money is in keeping it illegal, even though it makes NO sense in any other way. Heroin is NOT the drug of choice for anyone, especially the youth. There are reliable statistics that show that there is a hard core of junkies, mainly over 35 years old, who form the crux of the ' problems ' about heroin. If these poor souls were given their fix and left alone they would bother no one; they seek escape as it is. But they are the market for the sick monsters that run the business from the carpeted haalls of the White House and other dens of iniquity.

It is a MORAL issue, the CHURCH people think that anyone who needs to change their feelings or to seek to feel ' high ' are spiritually in error, and they think that it is ' evil ' just like the Taliban, to use anything to alter perception. The right wing judgemental squawkers who make the most noise and influence the politicnas are the ones who swill whiskey without regret while demanding prison time for people in wheelchairs seeking relief from a natural herb like cannabis. Hippocrites all.

Heroin and opium based drugs are there because the people who control the high end of the business CANNOT be touched by the DEA or anyone else, they are above the law, they ARE the law, and we all know who they are.They have been operating the same basic ways for many decades and continue to to this day. Anytime the DEA gets agents close to the top, what happens? They are shut down by the CIA and other intel types and told to go away. The evidence is massive, but ignored.

As long as we are living in a terrible and cruel world, there will be a small percentage of the people who desire total oblivion, peace..and they cannot find it in anything except the effects of the poppy plant and its derivatives. If we were to provide them with the adequate amount to satisfy them, they would never commit a crime or harm anyone, they seek only to fell the drug and to go inside quietly. They are only 1-2 percent of any population, and medically they could be helped and it would halp society too. Studies in Europe, primarily Switzerland and Holland, and Belgium, where heroin is provided to addicts, shows a marked decline in crimes and other negatives associated with the drugs use.

But what makes sense to help people is NOT the agenda of the rulers so we see the same old tired and useless system continuing. As long as vast firtunes can be made for the major players, it will never end. When the big boys find others that are making too much money, they simply set them up and bust them!! Eliminate competition so you can corner the market!! As Mr. Lear said, Noriega is one, and there are many more.

Our system is terrible, corrupt, ineffective and indefensible from any viewpoint; except for the view that money is God and the political boys that are the real drug bosses believe that for sure. The intelligence community is as dirty as hell and there are Americans right now distributing heroin into this nation as official policy of the shadow govt, the same players that pulled 9-11. Same gang, different missions. One side makes the money and the other side stages the events that make even more koney. this nation is in real trouble..we may be too far gone to save at this point.

Originally posted by eyewitness86

Our system is terrible, corrupt, ineffective and indefensible from any viewpoint; except for the view that money is God and the political boys that are the real drug bosses believe that for sure. The intelligence community is as dirty as hell and there are Americans right now distributing heroin into this nation as official policy of the shadow govt, the same players that pulled 9-11. Same gang, different missions. One side makes the money and the other side stages the events that make even more money. this nation is in real trouble..we may be too far gone to save at this point.

Your post should be extremely unpopular with many because it represents a truth many they are not willing or even capable of accepting or believing. Most believe that 'deep down' in the government there are 'good people' who are trying to do the 'right thing'. There are. But the problem is those people think the people at the top are also trying to do the 'right thing'. Thats why the system works. Thats why many voted for Bush the last time around. They figured, "Well shoot, he's gotta know something we don't. He wouldn't just be sending our troops to war for money."

Good essay.

Maybe the money being made is going to help pay back Leo Wanta?

Maybe keeping the drug flow going will help control Iran by giving them a drug problem to worry about, something the west can use to control them. This site backs up this idea:
www.cfr.org...

According to the CIA world fact book Europe has the highest percentage of the world's population using opiates. Was this planned beforehand and now being exploited as a population control mechanism?

The British were put in charge of the eradication of opium fields after the conflict ended. It looks like they helped production instead of stopping it. I wonder what their cut of the take is?

I also read that the weather over there has been great the past few years. I wonder what country has the ability to control weather patterns? This is my own idea of a conspiricy that uses US assets that we know exist but have not been told publically of what they can do.

This makes me wonder about why the Taliban was taken out. This cash cow can't be controlled by anyone else so they were taken out of the equasion and production is ramping up nicely.

John you once again started a great thread. I hope everyone picks up on this and asks what the real reason the conflict in Afghanistan was all about. I don't think it was about the Taliban blowing up a few statues of Buddha.

Hi John, a very interesting subject. I have a book here I would recommend, it is called 'Mr Nice' by Howard Marks. It's the biography of a man who started as a small time dope dealer, to becoming quite a large scale smuggler, and it includes many tales of his run ins and dealings with 'organisations as diverse as MI6, the CIA, the IRA, and the Mafia'. Here are a few little quotes from the book to illustrate.

Ernie wasn't supposed to get busted. On his payroll were top lawyers, police, politicians, CIA agents, senior Mafia figures, and Hell's Angels. He had been a fugitive for twelve years. What had gone wrong?

'What exactly will you want done, Bill?'
'The dope has to be put in specially constructed wooden crates. I have the dimensions here. Then the crates have to be taken to the American President Line in Karachi docks. The United States Government will then ship the whole works to the United States naval base in Alameda, California. The crates have to be delivered to the American President Line by you personally. We can't let these dope-dealing rag-heads know what's going on'
'Okay.'
'Howard, you know I'm a CIA agent, right?'
'The possibility had occurred to me.'
'The US Government has a number of secret bases, spy networks, and equipment scattered throughout Pakistan. Ocacasionally, we have to send equipment back in such a way that no one knows what the # we are doing. I have clearance to send spy helicopter parts back from here by ship on the American President Line. I'm given a lot of room to manoeuvre. No one can open this in Alameda except me. I cheat a bit. Like now I'm going to send some dope. I have friends in Washington who are sympathetic to whichever of these rag-heads over here are anti-Communist. They ain't gonna mind if I do a dope deal and get the rag-heads some money. The CIA owns the American President Line. Once the dope is on there, it's mine'

Fred Hilliard had died of a heart attack while the wooden crates of dope were heading to Alameda on the American Presidential Line. Only Fred had been capable of clearing the load, which was now about to be discovered and cause one almighty scandal. The United States Navy was not meant to be smuggling top-quality hash through its shipyards. Questions would be asked. Governments might topple.