""How could be possible that a bunch o "terrorists" like the taliban could have stop the production of poppy, and the super powers cannot????""

Quite simple really, the Taliban would come in and kill you, your family and your relatives if you broke their laws and not give a crap about world opinion... AND not care if you stayed dirt poor in the mean time.

The world “superpowers” can’t do that because they don’t have the balls to be that brutal (WHICH IS A GOOD THING)and are too busy trying to make people like you (world opinion) happy.

There are no easy answers to this situation unless your willing to be as brutal as the Taliban are capable of being.

Jerry, Texas USA,

The world is facing a pain killer shortage, license the poppy farmer and stop this ridiculas failed US war on drugs. The worl has had about enough of the Stgates and their failed wars on this and wars on that. Easy solution.

Scorpion, Anywhere , Canada

How could be possible that a bunch o "terrorists" like the taliban could have stop the production of poppy, and the super powers cannot???? i thin this is hypocracy form the super powers, they really want to increase the poppy production

Roger, Monterey, California

I had several muslim professors in school. I remember several of them telling me, at the time of the 2001 invasion, that they didn't consider the Taliban to be muslims. They concluded this based on the fact that producing/selling illicit drugs, or being involved in the production/sale of them (directly or indirectly) was contrary to the teachings of Islam.

They pointed out the hipocrisy of the Taliban for shooting people who drank alchool, while all the while they, themselves were fueling the heroin market.

If their religion is so important to them that they're willing to kill themselves in a suicide blast for it, maybe they would be willing to find other, more Islamic means of earning a living if this was pointed out to them by other muslims.

Kris, Kitchener, Canada

Why not punish the landlords not the farmers... Any landlord with poppies growing on his land should face the death penalty. I know its a little harsh, but arn't they been a bit harsh to the poor farmers. Its a terrible trade which needs a tough line to get ride of it. Ok There is always someoewilling to take the risk, but is the risk great enough for death??

Craig, Sydney,

I thought a great deal of money was spent in some parts of Afghanistan by the Allies buying up the poppy harvest after they defeated the Taliban. The problem is local corruption in Afghanistan.

There is a great deal more money to be made by selling it into the international drugs trade, and the local "warlords" have thwarted attempts to take opium off the drugs market . Instead they connive or intimidate the local farmers to grow poppies and then pocket the proceeds from drug barons.

The stuff is shipped out through Turkey (and on to the West) and even to Iran where they have a massive heroin problem.

Some of these Afghan warlords are high up in local politics in Afghanistan. I assume some of the confiscated heroin has also made its way onto the international market. It's like the oil for medicine scam in Iraq.

roxsana, London , England

Unfortunately you can't get nearly as much for legally disseminated poppies as for illegal. So there will always be a temptation to grow poppies and sell them to the heroin market, even if a legal market exists. And reducing the portion that goes to the illegal market simply increases the price there, which increases the temptation to service that market.

The solution is to destroy the value of the crop by encouraging the growth of poppies in a less problematic part of the world where the proceeds don't buy weapons for the Taleban. Legalizing heroin could also help, though it would require changing numerous national laws in order to have the most impact on the market.

Robert, Boulder, Colorado, USA

Its the taleban that control the poppy production as this provides them with the funding to fight the war, so if we start purchasing heroin from the 'farmers' we are simplying handing the taleban the cash and means to continue with the war. It is not american ideology that dicates this it is shear common sense.
Not only is heroin practically illegal around the world, it is the reason why this confilct has been for so long. The fact of the matter is Heroin is not a realsitic crop to grow you can't eat it, you can't sell it on the common market, so how could you expect to build an economy with it. They need to start farming food animals, tapping into natural resources, minerals etc, none of which can begin until the war has ended. Henceforth the problem with afganistan until the poppy's stop growing the war will not stop

Ben, wirral,

Another reason why the west cannot "win." We spend a billion dollars on a plane to kill people, but can't provide a few meager bucks to subsidize sustainable agriculture. Instead of making friends, we make more enemies.

Dirge, Wisconsin, USA

I think strategists and planners realize that putting cash incentives in the hands of rural poppy farmers would seem counterproductive . These liquid funds could potentially end up in the hands of those willing to harm allied soldiers . With so many poppy farmers angry over ruined crops already , it may be too late to take that approach . Sad because it may have been a more plausable idea earlier in this operation . I believe had the united states taken a more compassionate approach torwards the afgani people , Washingtons hasty actions tailored for quick results would not have resulted in such a long and drawn out affair . If an incompetent president hadnt lied to the american people , and passed new laws giving him complete control of our military without any check , the full force of allied abilities in afganistan would be sufficienly capable of securing afganistan as well as pakistan . instead recources and human lives have been squandered in a injust war that has done more harm to the united states than the taliban . The world must demand recompensation to the iraqi people . U.S. troop withdrawal and army engineer upscaling to rebuild the ravaged cities of the once proud iraqi people .
If the young and desperate iraqi insurgents start to kill those restoring water , electricity , homes and transportation to the iraqi people , then the united states can completly withdrawal . but as it stands , the american public , every one of us , has a price to pay for george bush's lies . that would also motivate this country to seek justice of those responsible . Any found giulty of war profiteering should be made to bear the brunt of economic recompansation . (halliburton, cheney, I'm talking to you .)
if the u.s. focused on afganistan instead of the late incompetent saddam hussien , other countries sons and daughters would be better supported in afganistan . sorry for rambling on , but im very stressed out about what bush and cheney have done to the reputation of the american people .

Andrew Lee, Leadville , United states , Colorado

I agree with Mr. Robertson of Swadlincote, Derbyshire, the only reasonable voice among the commenters so far.

Kathleen, Page, Arizona, USA

Stop the users and you stop the reason for growing.
Buying the crops would just make the farmers grow more
and the traffickers would just set a new price ceiling.
We have to make their crop worthless and then and only
then will they grow something else.

Wm Hendrickson, Phoenix, AZ

Is Greg in London serious? - "It angers me that we are charging in and ruining peoples lives, it is so unfair to the farmers " Does he not have a clue regarding the way these farmers' opium ruins the lives of thousands of Brits who become addicts of his despicable product. Not only are the addicts' lives ruined but also those of their families and in some cases, their victims. Presumably, Greg would have felt this contorted way when Britain fought the slave-traders a few centuries ago. I'm sure the lives of many slave-traders were impacted if not ruined - tough

MM, Chingford, London

Why don't you sell Afgan poppy exclusively on the world maket for pharmacutical purposes. It seems like the only place that the world has poopy problem is with Afganistan.

Everol, Belize, Belize

Prince Charles recently assumed for himself the role of an Emperor when he exhorted Imperial College London Diabetes Centre to get McDonald’s banned. Obviously, he can't come near that. For, he will need to buy the entire output at a fair price if ever his wish is to be realised. Let whichever government is genuinely exercised about excessive addiction of its youth, buy up the poppy paying a fair price to the farmers. Afghan farmers, on the other hand, are treated lesser children of god. It is such arrogant, unfair behavior that pushes the general public toward organisations like Taliban.

Sampathkumar Iyangar, Ahmedabad, India

More funds need to be injected into the local economy to help the Afghan people. The Farmers should be encouraged to drop their opium crop for tomatoes and other vegetables that can be exported to Iran. The Iranians are having to import veg from Pakistan due to price increases caused by new trade with Iraq! The price of fruit and veg for the average Iranians have gone up considerably since the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
This is a opportunity for the Afghan Farmers.

Tony Passarelli, Nottingham, uk

If we can pay European farmers to Set+aside , and not grow crops , why not Afghanistan farmers?
Better still , Fair Trade is looking for new areas of busuness , this would be money well spent for a ' Medical Fair Trade ' .

Paul Rose, Coventry,

Maybe I'm missing something but why not pay the farmers more for their crop than they get from the traffickers? I'm sure it would cost less and be more effective than aything else we've tried.

Ellen Morris, Edinburgh, Scotchland

To buy-up the poppy crop from source has been a logical recommendation from many non-partisan social and economic commentators - including comments posted here. I have yet to read an official and authorative reason for why not.
Taking a cradle-to-the-grave analogy, better to nurture by the cradle than to regret at the grave.

Robbie Rohan, Great Chart. Kent, UK

If you want to stop heroin use in the UK, how about stopping it here? Alternatively, put it on prescription.

Everyone in Afghanistan knows that one day the USA and the UK will leave. They have to think of themselves and their nearest and dearest. Inevitably, this means that the resistance to the occupation will increase over time.

Alfred, Ryde, Isle of Wight, UK

It's clearly crazy to try to eliminate heroin usage in this way. Why not buy the crop and put addicts on heroin and treatment via the NHS. That way we'd completely cut out the warlords and drug barons, cut drug related crime and defeat the Taliban all in one go. Of course we don't do this because it offends US ideology. Which just goes to show that ideologies are bunk.

John Small, Faversham, UK

I saw a recent news item that said that the NHS is unable to get as much diamorphine as it needs, to stop the painful suffering of terminal cancer patients.

Diamorphine is heroin, and it is made from these poppies that we are destroying, on orders from the American World Domination Team.

Instead of destroying the livelihood of Afghan farmers, and making more enemies for ourselves, why can we not just buy their whole crop, and use it medically?

Because the Amercans are telling us all what to do, and they are lunatics, that's why not.

C Blackmore, Melksham, England

It angers me that we are charging in and ruining peoples lives, it is so unfair to the farmers that it wouldn’t surprise me that some would want to join the Taliban.

A new high price crop that can grow in the area needs to be found, and a 5 year crossover time like what happened in Thailand is the only way that I can see afghan poppy fields not being so large. What I really don’t understand is why the pharma companies still buy poppy crop from OZ? If they where to by from Afghanistan it would help the economics of a very poor country and shrink the amount available for Heroin.
And anyway we will never totally silence the poppy, which is the most useful medicinal crop that man has ever seen, what would we have do without her?

Greg, london, Berkshire

Surely the answer is to subsidise the creation of a pharmacutical industry in afghanistan. Production of wideley used pharmacuticals from the poppy crop would be utilised in people friendly way and supply a world wide market. The afghan people would then have a legal market for thier product and recieve a fair price. The disposal of the crop would then go through controlled outlets making this disposal transparent and helping to keep criminal elements out.

Barry Robertson, Swadlincote, Derbyshire

Get the pharmaceutical companies to buy the crop for drug manufacture while alternative useful crops are being explored to provide an income stream.

Steve, Leeds,

It would really be interesting to know how much it costs, both in money terms and in the loss of life to UK citizens, tackling the "demand" side that fuels the poppy trade in the UK. Now, I do not know what the figure is but I am prepared to bet that it is minuscle in comparison to the amount being spent on tackling the "supply" side in Afghanistan.

Tony Greenland, Surbiton, Surrey

There is no other viable option. They are not growing poppy because they dont know about other crops. Only poppy can be sold. All other crops are worth nothing. You need to know the economy of the region.

Ramem, London, UK

I have a very strong suspicion that if Governments arranged to buy the poppy crop direct fron the farmers, it would be much cheaper in the long run than having to keep military forces there, further there would be a reduction in the loss of human life, Afghan, military and the dope addicts. However, I bet the Taliban would not like that solution. but then my reasoning involves common sense which has been destroyed by PC.

RG Mitchell, High Wycombe, , Bucks.

Give them a viable alterative crop, but make sure all poppy crop is eradicated.

Terry, Hereford, UK

pull everyone out of iraq now

kris, penzance, england