US DRUG CZAR ANNOUNCES AFGHANISTAN WILL SPRAY OPIUM POPPIES

US Drug Control Policy head John Walters announced that Afghanistan's
poppy crops will be sprayed with herbicides in an effort to put a
crimp in the country's booming opium and heroin trade. But the Afghan
government, which is not enthusiastic about spraying, has yet to
confirm Walters' pronouncement.

This year, Afghan opium production increased 49% over last year, and
the country produced 6,100 metric tons of opium, or 670 tons of
heroin. That's 90% of the illicit opium supply, and more than the
world's junkies can shoot, smoke, or snort in a year. This as the US
spent $600 million on anti-drug efforts in Afghanistan this year.

Afghanistan will become a narco-state unless "giant steps" are taken
to rein in production, Walters said. "We cannot fail in this mission.
Proceeds from opium production feed the insurgency and burden
Afghanistan's nascent political institutions with the scourge of corruption."

The problem for Walters and the US is that embarking on widespread
eradication is also likely to feed the insurgency as farmers and
traders turn to the Taliban for protection from the central
government and the "infidels." The Taliban is already doing just
that, and it is using opium profits to fund its resurgence. So far
this year, 189 NATO and US troops and some 4,000 insurgents have been
killed in fighting, by far the largest toll since the US overthrew
the Taliban in late 2001.

On top of that, after decades of war, Afghans are very leery of
chemicals being dropped from planes. President Karzai himself earlier
rejected spraying, saying herbicides proved too great a risk and
could contaminate water and kill crops growing beside the poppies.

But Walters said Karzai has agreed to spraying, which will use
glyphosate, the herbicide in Roundup. "I think the president has said
yes, and I think some of the ministers have repeated yes," Walters
said without specifying when spraying would start. "The particulars
of the application have not been decided yet, but yes, the goal is to
carry out ground spraying."