And MilesAway...if you don't believe it then maybe you should do a little research of the FACTS...try starting here...

http://www.drugpolicy.org/library/bookstore/wei...

Hydrocodone is synthetic codiene,but you are correct that opium is the natural base for opiate drugs like codiene and heroin...BTW-Heroin is a legally prescribed pain killer in many countries including England.

Maybe if they were rebuilding New Orleans or distributing food and protecting the folks in Darfur or Myanmar. I realize the guys themselves can't help this.

The UK produces ALL of their own opium poppies in fields inside the UK. I guess they wouldn't be buying any from the afghans... or is it Cheney/BushCo Pharmaceuticals?

But I am still drug-virgin..ok I take it back...I just remembered they did shoot me some ( a lot of ) morphine when I thought I was going to die from pain...I was pretty happy afterwards, i was saying hi to everybody in the elevator while they were wheel chairing me to a hospital room...but never used for fun.... But I am VERY familiar with the dimes and nickels of the business and all the u turns and stop signs. Drug never had any appeal to me for what ever reason.

"So Natural Opiates are Morphine, Codiene and Thebaine.

"Semi-synthetic opiates (or semi-synthetic opioids) are Heroin (diamorphine), Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, Dihydrocodiene, Hydromorphone, Oxymorphone, Buprenorphine, Etorphine, Naloxone and Nicomorphine."

Yep, keep up the BS, goof balls LOL

HELLO!!! Afghans' opium is more expensive as illegal heroin and is sold on illegal market... maybe you get your 'painkiller' there when you make so 'dull' post. Try to change to synthetic and LEGAL, instead.

There is nothing conservative about the majority of today's republicans. I was excited about McCain in the late 90's. Today, I am appalled by what he has become.

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/02222008/tran...

BILL MOYERS: To help fight the insurgents, right? What's happening to that money?

SARAH CHAYES: Well, we're paying a billion dollars a year to Pakistan, which is orchestrating the Taliban insurgency. So, it's actually US-taxpayer money that is paying for the insurgents, who are then killing, at the moment, Canadian troops. Now if I were the government of Germany or France, I'd have a hard time putting my troops in that kind of equation. I would demand from Washington, that Washington require a lot different behavior from Pakistan.

I think more emphasis should be put on converting poppy crops to food products and the like...it not like Afganistan doesnt need them

Make them an offer they cant refuse..

grow corn or die

I think you meant failing to obey a lawful order.

Add to that the simplification of government, especially taxation.

Most (if not all) folks here are sympathetic with the situation of the U.S. Soldier.

The differences of opinion are primarily with the policies of the Commander-In-Chief.

Forgot to mentions pro civil liberties and pro privacy against government intrusion into our private lives.

That's my idea of conservative.

Right on, Bubba!

When corn, rice, wheat and other food crops cost more than heroin, (which won't be long) those Afghan farmers will convert in a jiffy!

I personally, however, prefer the word "decriminalize" as opposed to "legalize" even though the intent may be the same. We don't have to legalize something to simply not waste billions trying to enforce the unenforceable.

What's in a word? Sometimes a lot.

Besides... they burn the crop--so what's the point, is this going to change anything on the opium market?

In any case, it's no surprise... the CIA has financed their activities for years with drugs.

Be clear man.

war on terror

war on drugs

war is about killing, and I'm pretty sure you can't kill terror or drugs

That's probably why neither endeavor is working out too well

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I may add that 3 years ago the Afghani laborers got paid 6 USD a DAY by Haliburton, and then they had to pay some of that in extortion or risk beatings or skinning or finger cropping. That was 3 years ago when it was a relative's job to organize and process Afghani manual laborers at a major US base. They work in logistics now, getting the troops water and supplies, etc

I don't know what 6 bucks a day translates to over there. But it doesn't sound like a lot. I remember bringing it up when I first started posting on here and getting laughed at and disbelieved

I have this really good story but I can't tell it without feeling guilty. It's pretty hairy. Involves a foolish Paki truck driver, Afghani locals, and the wisdom of 'winning hearts and minds' on a very personal level. I know, I'm a tease

That is so much b.s. that I won't even neg that remark. lol

For sure! If Bush can fight 'terrorism' over there so that we don't have to fight terrorism here, then the same logic should apply to the illegal drug trade.

Good one, DMT!!

We cannot have it both ways. We 'support' the growing of poppies to be sold as opium, which is illegal in our country, and by the way does fund al Qaeda and the Taliban.

The Afghan farmers can be taught / educated / helped to grow DIFFERENT crops. Poppies are not the ONLY thing they can grow.

The situation with the opium fields is difficult. A couple years ago, I remember reading about the US trying to pay off the war lords and chieftain types with incentives to stop growing poppies. ...and now?

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You really can't go into other people's countries and expect to get them behave like you want

I think the Russians were in Afghanistan 10 years before they collapsed. We're on 6, but of course Russia had some other stuff going on, but I wonder how long we can keep it up

BTW why do they 'need' to ignore the poppy fields from which illegal drugs come to America Kville?

Can't we bust them over there so we don't have to bust'em here?

Marines Ordered To Ignore Afghan Opium Crop

The buck stops where?

Marines (told) by their (superiors) to ignore opium fields.

Marines doing their job as instructed.

Marines doing what needs to be done.

Marines following orders.

Pick any of the above :)

It is utterly insane for our OWN government to wage a war on drugs here and at the same time let Afghanistan freely produce opium.

But, I have a very cynical view of our "war on drugs". Politicians keep it going, via their self-righteous 'stand' of how evil these drugs are, when at the same time they get significant campaign contributions of laundered money from drug cartels.

Those cartels make billions and its all TAX FREE.

This situation with Afghanistan has to be on of the most blatant displays of hypocrisy by the self-serving Bush administration.

If this doesn't convince people how incompetent and crooked the Bush administration is, then I guess nothing will.

I'm more conservative than most Republican poseurs on this website.

Let's see, what business would pursue such a program for 90 years with no return on investment or progress in solving the problem? Is our current approach part of the problem?

Hard to decide which has been a bigger waste of money.

Of course, both of them have made billions and billions for those connected.

Need we tell you which nation is the largest user of 'illicit opium'?

What a irony. Our Marines are protecting all that.