Not a bad idea if you ask me.

Opium for the people: Extraordinary move to legalise poppy crops - Independent Online Edition > Asia

Blair has put a committee together to come up with a proposal to deal with the drug problem in Afghanistan. Legalization is on the table.

Legalizing poppy production could actually deprive terrorists (mainly located in Pakistan) from one of their main sources of funding. All the Afghani farmers want to do is make a buck and they stand to make just as much or more from the poppy crop if the market is opened. It could also be taxed to help the Central government become stronger.

It's surprising that Blair is sponsoring such an initiative while Bush seems to have proposed nothing other than a military solution in Afghanistan.

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Screw Change!! Let's have a Seamless Transition of Power and Policy.. John McSame in 2008!

Well, at least Blair's getting it! Wonder how long it will take Bush&Co and the religious neocon conservative's to catch up?

Gem

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There is no political solution to our troubled evolution.

"Reality, the left-wing liberal conspiracy. "
Credited to Angry American.

Wow, I didn't see this coming from Blair. Good move.

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"A generation of American people which receives the answers to all its moral dilemmas by seeking intervention from Washington will be a people incompetent to decently regulate their own lives. Such a people will not remain moral or free for long."

"I believe ossamas and palestinian interpretation of islam is the most correct and logically sound." - metalted

I think it was a damn good move! Now, if only Bush and the religious neocons could figure out that we could get rid of the drug cartels, drug gangs and most of the associated crime the same way....

Gem

__________________
There is no political solution to our troubled evolution.

"Reality, the left-wing liberal conspiracy. "
Credited to Angry American.

It will never be allowed. Way too much money is coming from the illegal poppy industry and only a fraction is going to fund terrorism. The rest is going to fund those fighting terrorism and they won't allow the drop in income.

Moby,

Explain your point fully. Are you suggesting that crime-fighting agencies are directly funded by sales of heroin?

I'm in favour of legalisation for the following reasons

1. Reduction in organised crime
2. If it's legal it can be taxed.
3. Identification and treatment of addicts.
4. Reduction in low-level crime

It seems a no-brainer to me: Increase in tax revenue, treat addicts, less demand, less supply.

I'd welcome dissenting views

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'They'd rather be alive than free, I guess. Poor dumb bastards.' Private Eightball - Full Metal Jacket

The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected
- Sun Tzu, the Art of War

Without poppy exports, Afghanistan is a welfare state.
Its the responsible thing to do.

For what its worth, poppy is used in legal ways: love that poppy bread.
anyway, Tony Blairs a dork. But his support for POPPY production is kool.

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Morphine comes from poppy production

Morphine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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'They'd rather be alive than free, I guess. Poor dumb bastards.' Private Eightball - Full Metal Jacket

The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected
- Sun Tzu, the Art of War

Which makes me wonder why Blair would make such a logical statement that goes against all US policy efforts of poppy eradication, denied by current Afghanistan government. Rummy and the unfunded Medicare prescription plan was the pay back for US pharmaceutical industry political support and they don't deal (pun intended) in morphine.

Could this be a first step in the UK diverting from certain current US policies?
No more Bush lap dog status in the world as a goal?

Yup, I'm not into drugs at all, but I guess I have to agree. It is the realistic approach.

Sets a dangerous precedent in the war on drugs, right? I suppose that would be the argument against? I'm think most wars on nouns are a farce anyway.

So does phenagran/codiene cough medicine, as does a lot of the other anesthetics we use.

Gem

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There is no political solution to our troubled evolution.

"Reality, the left-wing liberal conspiracy. "
Credited to Angry American.

"But if we lose the war on drugs, it emboldens the terrorists!"

- I just made an excellent neocon argument.

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A federal judge ruled today that graphic pictures of detainee abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison must be released over government claims that they could damage America's image.

Someone should tell them that bad press can be prevented by not abusing prisoners in the first place. Censorship is only needed to preserve the good reputation of those who have tortured and/or murdered already.

Legalisation is the only sensible way to fight drug related crime of any kind, including the funding of terrorists and war lords. The "War on Drugs" has failed and it will fail in the future. As long as there is an inelastic demand for drugs or any other good, prohibition only creates way more problems than it could ever solve. There should be a regulation on hard drugs (like on potentially harmful medicine) but they should not be illegal either. When people really want to fuck up their life, you can't help them anyway.

Isn't this up to the Afghan government, and not Blair?

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Success is measured in blood; yours or your enemy's.