# war on terroism and the war on drugs

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-on-terroism-and-the-war-on-drugs/83336>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [September 23, 2001, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-on-terroism-and-the-war-on-drugs/83336 "2001-09-23T14:27:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Osip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4491bb/32.png) [@Osip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Osip)\
**Post date:** [September 23, 2001, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-on-terroism-and-the-war-on-drugs/83336/1 "2001-09-23T14:27:59Z")

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When reading thru a GQ question I came upon this link  
[this one](http://www.echonyc.com/~onissues/su98goodwin.html) It is a long article and it made many points worthy of a GD thread or two. The part that I am talking about currently is

> [@](#):
>
> While it may be some time before Taliban coffers are swollen by petrodollars, one of the mainstays of the regime’s economy is heroin production, which they use in part to supply their war machine. Afghanistan now produces more of the narcotic than any other country-and much of it ends up on the streets of the U.S. Despite promises by the Taliban to eradicate the industry, according to a report released last February by the U.N. Inter- national Narcotics Control Board, the harvest of opium poppy, from which heroin is derived, increased by 25 percent in Afghanistan during 1997. The Taliban control 96 percent of Afghanistan’s total opium output, this country’s only real remaining cash crop.

With the increased security at our borders in regards to terrorist and terrorism how will this effect our war on drugs?  
WIll the US of A employ chemical attacks on Afgan poppy field with something like the vegitation killing “agent orange” or similar substance?  
When, we do find terrorists harboured in regions will we also disrupt and destroy the drug crops as a way of distrupting the econimic stability of the region?

I have only just started to thiink on the implications of this train of thought, I would like to hear other posters thoughts on this.

Thanks in advance,  
Osip

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**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\
**Post date:** [September 23, 2001, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-on-terroism-and-the-war-on-drugs/83336/2 "2001-09-23T23:30:54Z")

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> [@](#):
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> With the increased security at our borders in regards to terrorist and terrorism how will this effect our war on drugs?

Depending on how and how much border patrols are beefed up, it may very well become more difficult to smuggle drugs into the country (but it would by no means become impossible or unprofitable).

> [@](#):
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> WIll the US of A employ chemical attacks on Afgan poppy field with something like the vegitation killing “agent orange” or similar substance?

Highly unlikely. In the first place, we wouldn’t waste jet fuel and risk pilots’ lives for such low-priority targets. Furthermore, the Afghani poppy fields may be basically legitimate (I don’t actually know, however). Several countries in the region grow poppies quite legally for pharmaceutical companies around the world. That much of the opium (and derivatives thereof) harvested makes it onto the international black market is basically unavoidable.

> [@](#):
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> When, we do find terrorists harboured in regions will we also disrupt and destroy the drug crops as a way of distrupting the econimic stability of the region?

What economic stability?