Drug use rife amoungst Afgan army soldiers, we cant leave them in charge

reply to post by yakuzakid


In afganistan there is almost no programmes for addicts and with heroin so readily available gettin clean would be very hard. Personaly I believe if you wana take heroin you should be allowed to., but you certainly shouldnt be given a weapon and trained to be a soldier. Even weed which may be ok for you can cause problems in a lot of people, paranoia especially would be a very bad side effect for sldiers in a corrupt country.

Many people have addicitons now to all kindsa things from computer games to coffee to hard drugs. I think that this rate of pure drug addiciton is very worrying, I have unfortunately had experience with people very close to me who have become heroin addicts and I can tell you that you can not trust anyone with that addiction and they will not be capable of soldiering.

reply to post by clintdelicious


Makes me wonder how many American soldiers are hooked on the drug too......another sweep under the rug?

reply to post by clintdelicious

In afganistan there is almost no programmes for addicts and with heroin so readily available gettin clean would be very hard. Personaly I believe if you wana take heroin you should be allowed to., but you certainly shouldnt be given a weapon and trained to be a soldier. Even weed which may be ok for you can cause problems in a lot of people, paranoia especially would be a very bad side effect for sldiers in a corrupt country.

Many people have addicitons now to all kindsa things from computer games to coffee to hard drugs. I think that this rate of pure drug addiciton is very worrying, I have unfortunately had experience with people very close to me who have become heroin addicts and I can tell you that you can not trust anyone with that addiction and they will not be capable of soldiering.

What do you suggest we do? Scrape together a couple billion dollars and start enforcing drug laws in their country? Let them worry about themselves, we have our own issues. Besides, out of all of the problems in the world, some drug using soldiers should be the least of your concerns.

We are never going to leave, and we are never going to leave them fully in charge. We are nation building in Afghanistan. The troop withdrawal is to make the American people feel better. As soon as the majority of our boots leave Afghanistan, NATO and private security companies will fill the void to protect the pipelines, poppy fields, and resource-raping, multinational corporations whom we went to war for.

It is a problem if the Afghani army is on drugs, but you probably would be too if you witnessed firsthand the death and destruction we brought to their country. If they fight back, they are terrorists and killed. So, all the can do is join us. If they aren't farmers then they don't have a job, so they have to join the Afghani army or police force and work against their people for money. They are being incorporated into a system they did not grow up in, so yeah.. that's probably why they are smoking opium to escape their current reality.

reply to post by TupacShakur


Please dont lecture me about drug use and what a substance may or may not do. I have had personal experience with friends using all manor of drugs and myself I must admit have dont my share of all manor of things. Weed affects different people in different ways, my girlfriend had never had any trouble with drink or other drugs before, this one changed her mental state so much it was frightening, she would be terrofied about global warming and all sorts of things that where no immediate danger to her, when she stopped she changed almost over night and finished her degree wihtout any other issues, coincidence? Her housemate who smoked a LOT of it as well went mental over the smallest things, I knew him for 3 years in total and this only started happening when they both stated smoking.

On the other hand I played in a band with a guy who smoked all day and everyday, like I aid it affects people in different ways. Anyone who quotes surveys and experiments etc obviously isnt clued up much about drugs because these rarely reflect real life issues with drugs and sample small number of people or sample large numbers of people but dont go into any significant detail.

So please dont talk like that, its silly to say it doesnt affect anyone badly at all.

reply to post by tooo many pills


Thank you for an intelligent answer

reply to post by bluemirage5

Makes me wonder how many American soldiers are hooked on the drug too......another sweep under the rug?

You bring up a great point. Sure, it's easy to point the finger at people in other countries and condescend them as if we're some superior race, but they're not the only soldiers who are addicted to opium.

US soldiers in Afghanistan and opium addiction

Pentagon statistics obtained by FoxNews.com show that the number of Army soldiers enrolled in Substance Abuse Program counseling for opiates has soared nearly 500 percent -- from 89 in 2004 to 529 last year. The number showed a steady increase almost every year in that time frame -- but it leaped 50 percent last year when the U.S. began surging troops into Afghanistan. Army troop levels in Afghanistan went from 14,000 as of the end of 2004 to 46,400 as of the end of 2009.

They have it pretty rough in their country too. I don't think it's fair for you to tell them that they're the bad guys for using drugs when some of them see their closest friends get killed on a weekly basis.

reply to post by TupacShakur


They dont have a problem picking up a weapon and kickin some @ss? Errrm yes they do! Have you not seen how mad they arewhen fighting alongside our professional troops? I think it was Ross Kemps series showed them high and one stood up in the middle of a firefights and had the magazine shot of his rifle and was so high he just laughed not realising his stupidity and the danger that he was in.

One the news now is a report that a NATO soldier has just been killed by an Afgan National Army soldier, I wana know if drugs are involved as they have been a factor in many friendly fire cases and also attacks in the army where they fight themselevs after arguing. Who can blame some of them? I wouldnt want my back watched by anyone smacked of their tits!

reply to post by BrianDamage
they outlawed the use not the sale, and yes we should tell the rest of the world how to act think sleep read teach and live dress pray and vote for we are the 4th Reich, we will be the rulers of the oppressed and leaders of the free, for only then will we have peace, for we will not kill our own, but put them to work and prison when they break our laws. Drug use is for bidding!!! Free thinking is for bidding, so is free will you shall not do so without prior consent, now you must pay for your free thinking ways 20 days hard labor, report to the GM plant no pay for you, one meal a day, no bread. ZIG BUSH!!!!!

reply to post by TupacShakur


I have nothing but the deepest sympathy for addicts and their families mate. I have lost people close to me from heroin addiciton. I dont judge like that, but that doesnt mean that Ithink they should have a wepon! If a soldier in the army undergos a substance abuse programme for heroin then good for them and good for the army for being understanding and helping the situation. But you cant seriously think its ok for them to be high whilst fighting and protecting their fellow soldeirs though?!?!

I am not having a go at addicts, im stating that addicts cant be used in a military, its just too dangerous. To our soldiers as well the the Afgan armys. Drug addiciton is often due to other factors like depression etc so its perfectly understandable why a soldier or anyone who has seen combat would get hooked to make life easier. I think tis amazingly great that the US army has a programme to help addicts as well, I think in the UK you get kicked out as soon as you fail a drug test.

reply to post by clintdelicious

Please dont lecture me about drug use and what a substance may or may not do.

I will lecture you, because you're here spreading propaganda when studies show that it's clear cannabis has no negative health consequences, other than short term memory loss while under the influence.

Weed affects different people in different ways, my girlfriend had never had any trouble with drink or other drugs before, this one changed her mental state so much it was frightening, she would be terrofied about global warming and all sorts of things that where no immediate danger to her, when she stopped she changed almost over night and finished her degree wihtout any other issues, coincidence?

You should see if AboveTheInfluence is hiring, you'd make a great addition to the biased organization. She never had problems with alcohol, so that makes it good? What about the fact that alcohol kills 100,000 American citizens annually, since she doesn't think about global warming while drunk, that makes it OK, even though there's the possiblity that she could crash her car while drunk or get alcohol poisoning and die?

Her housemate who smoked a LOT of it as well went mental over the smallest things, I knew him for 3 years in total and this only started happening when they both stated smoking.

Sounds like a personal problem, blaming personality flaws on a harmless plant is beyond ignorant. Just because they're irresponsible and can't keep a cool-head when they're not stoned doesn't mean that cannabis is bad.

On the other hand I played in a band with a guy who smoked all day and everyday, like I aid it affects people in different ways. Anyone who quotes surveys and experiments etc obviously isnt clued up much about drugs because these rarely reflect real life issues with drugs and sample small number of people or sample large numbers of people but dont go into any significant detail.

I am about as informed as they get about cannabis, I've spend more time researching this topic than you could imagine. "Real life issues", yeah because smoking weed really tears families apart, right? You always hear on the news about a husband beating his wife and children after coming home from smoking some weed. There's always the news story about the cannabis smoker who sells all of his possessions and turns to a life of crime because they're hopelessly addicted and need to feed their non-stop craving for a harmless plant.

So please dont talk like that, its silly to say it doesnt affect anyone badly at all.

Smoking cannabis does not pose any negative health consequences. None. Nada. Zero. Zip. El-Zilcho. Just because your ex-girlfriend and her housemate got a little cranky doesn't mean that we need to spend billions of dollars enforcing our drug laws in another country. I get cranky when I don't drink coffee in the morning, so should we also prevent Afghan soldiers from drinking caffeine? Because if they're addicted to caffeine and don't drink coffee in the morning, they could become dangerously upset, and since they're in a position of power, who knows what could happen.

reply to post by clintdelicious

I have nothing but the deepest sympathy for addicts and their families mate. I have lost people close to me from heroin addiciton. I dont judge like that, but that doesnt mean that Ithink they should have a wepon! If a soldier in the army undergos a substance abuse programme for heroin then good for them and good for the army for being understanding and helping the situation. But you cant seriously think its ok for them to be high whilst fighting and protecting their fellow soldeirs though?!?!

I don't think it's the best idea, but they seem to be handling the situation so I don't really care. If they want to shoot up some heroin before picking up a weapon, let them, we don't have have a single penny to spare policing another country.

What do you suggest we do? What would you recommend America does to intervene? Is there any solution that wouldn't require spending millions if not billions of dollars?

I am not having a go at addicts, im stating that addicts cant be used in a military, its just too dangerous. To our soldiers as well the the Afgan armys. Drug addiciton is often due to other factors like depression etc so its perfectly understandable why a soldier or anyone who has seen combat would get hooked to make life easier. I think tis amazingly great that the US army has a programme to help addicts as well, I think in the UK you get kicked out as soon as you fail a drug test.

It might be dangerous to have soldiers using drugs, but you're forgetting (or maybe you just don't know) that all illegal drugs kill around 16,000 annually, compared to 500,000 from the legal tobacco and alcohol. I would rather have soldiers using illegal drugs and picking up a weapon than getting blacked out drunk and handling an AK47, wouldn't you agree? I hear about people losing their temper and doing something dangerously irresponsible when they're drunk 500X more than I hear about somebody using heroin and stabbing somebody to death or something like that.

problem is that afghani gold seal hashish is a mix of THC and opium, so its not like there just toking weed. the opium will hold you down if you let it.

reply to post by TupacShakur


All the research in the world is no substitute for real life experience. I actually believe that people should be able to do whatever drug they want if they choose, just not if you are in control of a weapon and peoples lives so I hardly think that any anti drug organisation would hire me

It might have no physical health issues (besides damaging the lungs) but mentally it most certainly can effect many people. If you have done your research you should know this as there is a wealth of rsearch confirming this, im sure you will quote me from reports denying this so with all this conflicting data how de we know? My personal experience tells me this, I metn that she had no other issues that would effect her mental state, it was odd that she changed so fast after using it and changed back after stopping almost right away as well. Cannabis does in some cases cause paranoia, like I said it effects different people in different ways like loads of things do.

I am not spreading propaganda, just stating what I have experienced. I am pro choice on drug use also so it would be a lot easier for me to agree with you, but thats not personally my belief so I feel that I'd rather tell the truth on myh experiences than just roll with what backs up my beliefs better.

Trust me im not making random assumptions, my whole life from my teens ive been surrounded by people using different drugs, weed being the most popular. Most people are ok on it but some it does effect badly and thats the truth.

reply to post by TupacShakur


Also im not claiming to know exaclty what the best course of action is, just that addicts shouldnt be given the responsibility of protecting others. It may cost a lot to stay but do you really think we could just invavde a country pretty much for no reason, screw it up and leave the mess? At least while we are there there is infrastructure being built and funding for them. We owe it to them to help them out after causing so much death and destrucution its the least we can do.

reply to post by BrianDamage


Thanks thats interesting figures, I still thought that it was a majority producer for the last 40 years or so before seeing that.

reply to post by clintdelicious

All the research in the world is no substitute for real life experience. I actually believe that people should be able to do whatever drug they want if they choose, just not if you are in control of a weapon and peoples lives so I hardly think that any anti drug organisation would hire me

I agree, but we cannot be worrying about that right now. This country is on the brink of....I don't even know the word to describe it. Total failure. We can't be worrying about some drugged up soldiers, let them sort it out themslves. If friendly fire skyrockets, I'm sure they'll reckognize the danger and take it into consideration. Just because they're not American doesn't mean they're all mentally retarded.

It might have no physical health issues (besides damaging the lungs) but mentally it most certainly can effect many people.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/e4b845c46c32.jpg[/atsimg]
Really dude?

The more tobacco a person smoked, the greater their risk of developing lung cancer and other cancers of the head and neck. But people who smoked more marijuana were not at increased risk compared with people who smoked less and people who didn’t smoke at all.

If you have done your research you should know this as there is a wealth of rsearch confirming this, im sure you will quote me from reports denying this so with all this conflicting data how de we know? My personal experience tells me this, I metn that she had no other issues that would effect her mental state, it was odd that she changed so fast after using it and changed back after stopping almost right away as well. Cannabis does in some cases cause paranoia, like I said it effects different people in different ways like loads of things do.

Oh no, paranoia! Call the cops, the neighbor is paranoid!

I am not spreading propaganda, just stating what I have experienced

You're pushing the idea that smoking weed can make people go crazy with rage and paranoia, and that's a big load.

Trust me im not making random assumptions, my whole life from my teens ive been surrounded by people using different drugs, weed being the most popular. Most people are ok on it but some it does effect badly and thats the truth.

That sucks, if somebody can't smoke weed without being a short-tempered anger/paranoia machine, then if they're not intelligent enough to decide for themselves that they shouldn't smoke, I'm not going to blame the harmless plant, I'll blame the irresponsible individual.

reply to post by TupacShakur


Im sorry but we are just not going to agree on this issue. I appreciate your intelligent debate on the subject, but im speaking from personal experience and have seen people change because of this. I've seen people stay the same as well everything effects people in different ways.

There is plenty of research about the relationship with paranoia and how weed can exasserbate types of mental issues already present. It can also help medically with some people, but it still can do some bad.

This is what I have experienced with the drug, if I didnt know better I would say that you are trying to spread pro weed propaganda

reply to post by clintdelicious

She probably had underlying mental health issues and the thc just amplified them. weed does not send people mad, if anything it keeps our council estates peaceful and turns your wife beater into a mong rendering him harmless apart from raiding your fridge. We lost the war on drugs years ago, its time to take the crime element out of it and legalize everything.

reply to post by clintdelicious


I'm going to give you a piece of advice that is necessary to follow if you want to run a successful drug operation: don't use your own product!

The Afghan farmers and opium ringleaders all follow this. Do you really believe that there's a serious heroin addiction problem among Afghans?

For one, you need to understand how poppies get turned into heroin. First the farmers scrape the opium product off of the bulb. They make a few dollars per pound or whatever. Then the opium either gets sold domestically (since it is a spiritual drug since forever in Asia) and the majority of it gets refined into heroin. I doubt the heroin is even made in Afghanistan, but it would make it easier to move around because of how condensed heroin is compared to the relative amount of opium.

Now, the only reason why Afghans grow poppy fields is because it's more profitable to them than growing wheat. The Afghans who grow it don't smoke it, and the final heroin product is too expensive to be sold to Joe Afghan, hence why the CIA-grown Afghan opium has increased southern Russian heroin addiction rates by tenfold (also affects India and China too).

My point here is that the cartels aren't stupid and they know that the profit lays in developed countries.

As for weed addiction? It's not addictive and everyone smokes it anyway, regardless who or where they are. Weed is definitely popular in Afghanistan because it's affordable and it suppresses the dismal reality that war has brought for them. There's also a substantial population that smokes it in BC, California and Mexico, all places where it is grown en masse. Who da thunk it?