Poppy for medicine


Dear Sir

Ottawa -- Foreign Affairs Minister David Emerson and the Canadian government should be applauded for resisting U.S. pressure to support poppy eradication efforts in Afghanistan (Burning Afghan Poppy Crops No Solution, Aug. 3). Crop eradication has never enjoyed any success in reducing drug crop yields worldwide; moreover, it consistently undermines NATO's struggle against a resurgent Taliban by leaving impoverished farmers disillusioned with Western forces, pushing them further into the arms of the insurgents.

ICOS has called for two pilot projects of its Poppy for Medicine model to be set up in southern Afghanistan. The scheme would allow farmers to grow poppy crops under licence for the local production of morphine. This would help impoverished farmers make a very competitive living by selling their product at a market rate, and help meet the needs of 80 per cent of the world's population who have no access to painkillers.

Only a policy that leaves poor farmers better off than under the current narcotics trade will succeed in bringing stability to Afghanistan.



Almas Bawar Zachilwal
Director of Policy Analysis, ICOS


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