Why Should Users Get a Free Pass on This?
I read this subscription-only column by Dana White in The Wall Street Journal about the situation, and was struck by the incomplete solution in its final two paragraphs:
Afghans have been growing opium for centuries, and without a practical alternative, they will continue to grow the cash crop. Despite the Karzai government’s effort to eradicate the plant, and $780 million in U.S. aid to promote crop replacement, old habits die hard. In many rural areas, there are no schools or hospitals, and water is scarce. The population is largely illiterate. It will be hard for Kabul’s democratic methods to take root as long as the violence continues, and no roads or schools are built. “It’s going to take education. And it will take a long-term international commitment. It was never going to be easy.” Gen. Eikenberry says. “There are some fundamental problems that have no easy answers.”
Since NATO relieved U.S. forces in southern Afghanistan in July, more than 500 suspected Taliban fighters have been killed. “The insurgents are no match for the forces here and can be managed,” Gen. Eikenberry says. While the general is confident the military can suppress the insurgency, it’s unclear whether the violence can stop long enough for the government to provide viable alternatives to Afghans. That’s not a question for the general, but for the politicians.
I think someone is being left out.
Do you have any idea who?
How about ….. the drug user?
When did it become impolite, or bad form, to remind a druggie that in addition to screwing up his or her life and the lives of those who love him or her, that they’re also contributing to worldwide organized crime and terrorism?
What, is the idea that their drug money ultimately ends up the hands of the Taliban too much to handle? I am soooooooo, not, sorry.
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RELATED ITEM:
Dutch colonel raises spectre of Afghan mission’s failure
15 September 2006
AMSTERDAM — The highest Dutch military officer in Afghanistan has raised serious doubts about the chances of the reconstruction mission’s success.
Colonel Arie Vermeij said in the military newspaper published on Friday that the mission was a waste of time and effort.
Based in Kandahar, Colonel Vermeij is the deputy commander of the NATO reconstruction tasks carried out by international troops in the six southern regions of Afghanistan.
But Vermeij said the operation was encountering difficulties, admitting that the Taleban are frustrating reconstruction efforts with bomb attacks and armed raids.
The colonel said the second problem was the cultivation of poppies for heroin and combating the drugs trade.
You are making the faulty assumption that hard drug users are capable of making rational decisions. If they choose drugs over their families, how can you get them to reconcile drugs over terrorists?
Comment by Kevin Irwin — September 20, 2006 @ 8:30 am
#1, I fully realize that reaching these people is difficult, but even trying this angle is, I believe, ruled out in the rehab community. I think it should be used.
Also, it is a preventive issue for people who have not become users yet. I am not saying it will turn the tide, but it is an argument that should be in the mix, and I believe currently is not. If I recall correctly, there was some kind of attempt at a TV ad that made the association between drug use and funding crime and terror that was met with outrage a couple of years ago. The only outrage is that the argument isn\’t made more often.
Comment by TBlumer — September 20, 2006 @ 10:38 am