Western powers must think the people are stupid if they didn't think that we know that the whole illicit drug industry was something that they organise to support their less than liberal policing policies.. Lets get real people. Do you think it would be that easy to do the Customs and Excise out of all of that cash. Not on your Nelly. and while where on the subject are our troops in Afghanistan protecting the crop from the Taliban. If my memory serves me correctlyThe last time the Taliban controlled the place they killed the farmers for producing it and burnt the crop. Ahh yes then we invaded.

Mark, Newcastle, Tyne Wear

Wouldn't it be better all round - that is, cheaper for us and acceptable to the Afghans - if poppy growing were licensed, and we buy the whole crop? It has important pharmaceutical uses, and burns quite well. Otherwise it will be a while before we can persuade all the Afghans to take up hairdressing and website creation.

E Harx, Hasselt, People Republic of Europe

just what exactly does Des Brown know about the 'heat of battle?,'
the US forces are and have been rather maverick when it comes to killing civilians, the commander is right to dismiss the black ops forces from his zone, Des has said it all, whilst pretending that things are good, he has admitted that the situation is a mess!

van, leeds, uk

It's time to think creatively and buy the drugs crop. It would provide Afghan famers with a decent living and I am sure that with the right level of co-operation the crop could be used for strictly medical purposes.

Michael, Wokingham, Berkshire

Has nobody ever thought of firebombing the fields?

James E. Petts, Burnham, England

You call this "Record" crop of poppy a failure? Get real! Drug money has been used to fund WESTERN GOVERNMENTS and the stock market for years now. Remember Richard Grasso, the chairman of the NYSE, went to Columbia a few years back and asked the leader of FARC to invest some of his cocaine profits into the NYSE. And this was reported in mainstream media. In the infowars where white is black and black is white, this "Record" crop seems like a resounding success to me.

One link to story:

http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/economy/nyse_drugs.html

JWhite, Royal Oak, MI

The Taliban had greatly reduced the poppy crop when they were in control. Since the US has had control the poppy crops have continued to increase each year. It makes one wonder if this is a planned failure. The increase in crops means more money for some, maybe the CIA.

David Keen, Clever,Mo., USA/Mo.

Every year we have a plan. Every year we have an increase in productiion. While I cerainly hope this plan is successful, I suspect that the international opiate trade will continue to contribute to the funding of Islamic fundamentalist radicals,al-Qaeda and its clones for a long time to come. Yeet another oopsin the war on terror. Phrank

Frank Weinberg, Park Forest, IL

They can't really use that much opium legitimately because there isn't a medical need for that huge a supply of morphium. The legalize-and-tax versus prohibition debate, that's a different issue. What you end up with is a progression from mere use being a crime to having to enforce abuse cases. I've heard law enforcement in the Netherlands isn't happy with how things are going with weed abuse. There may be other reasons for the Rules of Engagement. For example, if we wipe out the main livelihood of half the nation, they might hate us more. It would make it a lot harder for the people who hate us to afford attacking us though, and that might help. How hard could it be to wipe out a field of flowers if given the opportunity? It's not like it's a jungle, where you can't make things stop growing. A little Agent Orange, a little napalm...

Here in the U.S., of course, you know our politics generally agree drugs must be wiped out, and we don't seem to have much debate on it.

Joseph Pride, Alameda, CA, USA

What we need now is some kind of genetic (or other) material that can be scattered by air across most of the poppy growing areas that will cause the poppies to dies and spread from plant to plant. That way the poppy population would be wiped out fairly rapidly. I guess a bit like a plant version of myxomatosis that was released to kill off rabbits. Maybe there is some kind of insect or animal that could be released that would decimate the Poppies, much like locusts . Similar approach could and should be used on Coca plants as well.

Simon, London, UK

Almost 300 million pounds for anti-drug forces? I think they could buy all the raw opium in the world for that kind of money. Seriously, why don't they do it? buy the raw opium from Afghani farmers, pay them more (say 50%) than the drug barons. Then burn it. It's got to be cheaper than the useless 'war against drugs'. Raw opium is cheap, it only gets expensive after being refined and smuggled to the west. These people are extremely poor and opium is their only cash crop, Why should they become even poorer because of us? It's not like there will be no drug addiction in the west without heroin.
And if the EU can pay European farmers not to grow food, why can't we pay the Afghanis not to grow opium?

Sarah N., London, UK

This Government betrays its people by enabling this trade to continue. Shame. We know that it is driving the criminal justice system but this must stop. The need to build more prisons and employ more Police cannot be justified through the importation of this most socially divisive and morally corrupting drug. Where are the Politicians of courage who know what is going on, come on Stand up for the people that elected you where is you back bone.

Mark, Newcastle, Tyne Wear

agree!

REwate, Tampa, FLorida usa

The profits from the drug trade directly support the Taleban. This is a total reversal of policy when the Taleban controlled Afghanistan. Now they realize that this money can underwrite the insurgency against the NATO troops. Many of the growers of the opium poppies are fellow tribesman of the current President of the Country. NATO troops are forbidden to burn these fields of Karzi's "brother tribesmen". The tragedy is that the farmers don't have a productive crop to replace the opium revenue.

H.Goldstein, Elverson, USA,Penna.

I have no idea why we aren't just buying the crop. Is there any good reason it couldn't be put to legitimate medical uses? Wouldn't such a move help to support the Afghan economy and help isolate the Taliban from the rest of the population?

Jim, London, UK

I think British forces are too soft in Afghanistan. They made the whole situation worse with their peace agreement with the Taliban in Musa qala last year. Their fight against the Taliban is rather like the fight of an ill lazy cat against a hungry mouse. They wont win a damn thing.

Yasa Hazara, Dublin, Ireland