Solution to the Afghan poppy wars?

[Mister James]

I'm not the first to come up with this idea, but I've seen it suggested a few times now, and I'm stunned that it hasn't been seriously debated in Parliment.

First, read this story from yesterday in which a senior Police officer suggests providing prescription Heroin to addicts, in an effort to reduce the cost to society that they represent. Apart from shooting junkies (I'm not even too stressed about that, but it might run into a few stick HR problems) it seems to be the most elegant way of cutting burglary and shoplifting. The article suggests that your average junkie steals £45,000 worth of stuff per year to fund their habit, plus whatever police/court/hospital resources they waste.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/11/23/ndrugs223.xml

But, you ask, where are we to find the money to buy the heroin to provide this service?

How about Afghanistan? Our troops are becoming deeper embroiled in a conflict that is fueled by drugs money, and it is only a matter of time before they are forced to move against the poppy growers, who are just normal Afghans trying to make a living out of the stupid white people back home.

It's estimated that it would cost £500 million to buy all of the poppy crop each year in Afghanistan, which provides almost all the heroin for the UK. Why not pay a few farmers in government controlled areas to grow the crop, while subsidising the rest not to, just as in the EU. That way, if we find unauthorised poppy crops, we can eradicate them with a clear conscience, knowing that we have already paid for it.

We get control of the heroin coming into the country, more control over addict-crime, and remove a massive group of potential Taliban supports by flooding them with English money, just as in the Empire.
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>Soultrader Mister James, I bet you are a copper
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[byke95]

This would seems common sense (from an economical and crime perspective) but I feel it is short-sighted socially and psychologically.

There has been no mention of who will be prescribed diamorphine or what will happen to them (in terms of getting off the drug completely) when they are on the substitute.

The vast majority of heroin addicts are addicts for a reason i.e. to escape and numb the pain of their lives/past. I've yet to meet a heroin addict who enjoys their lifestyle.

If such a system is introduced and not managed well it may simply acts as an advert for those with low incomes/deprived backgrounds etc. to become heroin addicts, after knocking over a few grannies they'll be given the free stuff.

[JonB]

I used to be against the idea. However I am now for the idea and I think it would make hell of a change to society today.

Turf wars would go down somewhat as it is usually forced by drugs. However I do only see one problem. What happens when it is "legal"? How do people go about weaning people off the drug?
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[bazza]

Only if it's labelled "Fair Trade" though...
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[Ste]

[tribal_tiger]

[craigie b]

For the people against prescribing heoin, due to ill placed social and moral reasons.


We currently prescribe heroin addicts with methadone, which, in in the eyes of doctors and junkies alike is a harder drug to come off of than heroin.

We already prescribe opiates as a substitute and have the infrastructure in place to supply junkies. It seems logical to give them a safer replacement than methadone.

Further more, I seem to recall stinkwheel pointing out there is actually a morphine shortage in this country. The Afghan poppy could be used to fix this.

[headlamp]

A good idea in theory but in practice I don't think it would work. If the UK or EU were to buy all of the poppies in Afghanistan, it would result in the illegal supply being grown elsewhere, like Chechenya. The criminals who 'push' heroin will source their supply from these places as well as Thailand or Laos where it's still also grown.
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[Kickstart]

Hi

Another point. At £500m or so it would be fairly easy for the middle men to outbid the official UK buyers.

Although personally I am generally for legalising drugs.

All the best

Keith
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