Marines leaving opium crop alone

[unhappycamper]

Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit patrol a poppy field near the town of Garmser in Helmand Province of Afghanistan on May 1.


Marines leaving opium crop alone
By Jason Straziuso - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday May 7, 2008 7:44:54 EDT

GARMSER, Afghanistan — The Marines of Bravo Company’s 1st Platoon sleep beside a grove of poppies. Troops in the 2nd Platoon playfully swat at the heavy opium bulbs while walking through the fields. Afghan laborers scraping the plant’s gooey resin smile and wave.

Last week, the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit moved into southern Helmand province, the world’s largest opium poppy-growing region, and now find themselves surrounded by green fields of the illegal plants that produce the main ingredient of heroin.

The Taliban, whose fighters are exchanging daily fire with the Marines in Garmser, derives up to $100 million a year from the poppy harvest by taxing farmers and charging safe passage fees — money that will buy weapons for use against U.S., NATO and Afghan troops.

Yet the Marines are not destroying the plants. In fact, they are reassuring villagers the poppies won’t be touched. American commanders say the Marines would only alienate people and drive them to take up arms if they eliminated the impoverished Afghans’ only source of income.

Many Marines in the field are scratching their heads over the situation.


Rest of article at: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/05/ap_marines_opium_050608/

[acmavm]

1. What a half-assed fucked up situation.

[fed-up]

2. cuz we know how serious that war on drugs back home is-who cares about the junkies created stateside

who cares that there is no money for rehab

who cares what that does to overburdened prisons

who cares what additional crimes are committed as junkies raise money for drugs

who cares how much taxpayer money is given to law enforcement for "the war on drugs"

who cares how many weapons are bought and who they are used against with cash from poppy crops

who cares how many families are destroyed because of drug use

who cares how many tax dollars are used for health care for sick junkies



having a sister that went from being a cocaine user (back when the CIA was flying it into the Bay Area) to a junkie

I wonder why our government hates Americans?

the poppy crop that is being ignored will cause more devastation than 911

[Laughing Mirror]

3. the poppy, that "illegal" plant

Only in the minds of man.