DON'T NEGLECT DRUG WAR

The war on terrorism is intricately linked to the war on drugs. Al-Qaida
has reportedly taken part in the illicit drug trade to raise funds, and its
finances rely on money havens that also serve drug lords. That is why two
recent developments deserve close attention.

Reports from Afghanistan say local farmers are on the verge of resuming
large-scale poppy cultivation and opium production. Stopping the drug trade
should be a major objective for the United Nations in post-Taliban Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, the demands of homeland security have caused a major fall-off in
drug interdiction efforts by the U.S. government.

Coast Guard Commandant Adm. James M. Loy estimates that the Coast Guard has
reduced its drug enforcement efforts by 75 percent since Sept. 11 as the
service's ships and aircraft have concentrated on protecting U.S. ports
against the possibility of terrorist attacks.

The shift in resources could have one involuntary benefit by providing a
test of the effectiveness of interdiction as a means of reducing drug
imports. The nation should soon see the results of easing the Coast Guard's
aggressive drug interdiction efforts in the Caribbean region.

The political change in Afghanistan, another consequence of the war on
terror, offers farmers the possibility of quick profits from growing poppy
crops banned by the Taliban (which was suspected of profiting from
warehouse stocks of opium produced before its poppy ban went into effect).
Strong remedial action will be required to stop a new flood of drugs.

Poppy growing in Afghanistan is half a world away from the cocaine
factories of the Andean nations. But both activities underscore the
worldwide nature of the parallel threats of the drug trade and
international terrorism. The weapons needed to fight both - better
intelligence, stronger tools against money laundering, improved tools for
securing national borders - are similar. The war on terrorism deserves
first priority, but the war on drugs should not be neglected.