Defense Secretary Robert Gates' statement last week that the U.S. intends to send more combat forces to Afghanistan in 2009 is further evidence that the Taliban remains a formidable foe. One of the major sources of income for the Taliban, and a primary source of instability for the Afghan Government is the poppy trade, which supplies the majority of the world's heroin demand. Right now, the inflexible policies of the U.S. and the International Narcotics Control Board are hurting hampering efforts to find practical solutions to the poppy problem. If the U.S. and international community on the in the country ground are to weaken the Taliban, they must address the issue of the poppy trade and the associated corruption in a new and sophisticated way.
Currently, the U.S. policy of poppy eradication in Afghanistan is futile, unimaginative and fails to take into account the economic needs of the Afghan population. It also overlooks a creative, ethical and sustainable solution to the problem of the opium trade in Afghanistan. Rather than trying to stomp out poppy production by force, the U.S. should be working with international partners to establish a framework to assist Afghan farmers in selling their poppy crops to organizations that can use them to make medicines for those in the developing world in need of palliative care.
The World Health Organization (WHO), doctors and NGOs around the developing world have noted repeatedly the shortage of morphine as a major obstacle to providing widespread palliative care. In 2002, the WHO published "Assuring Availability of Opioid Analgesics for Palliative Care," acknowledging the limited access to opiates in the developing world. In March of 2003, the International Narcotics Control Board Annual Report concluded that "essential narcotic drugs used for medical purposes are insufficiently available in many countries around the world."
Uganda, and a few other countries have attempted, with success, to find creative ways to make morphine more readily available, and the results have been highly beneficial to people suffering from illness and pain. Concerns about abuse of opiates where they have been made available have proven unfounded, and there is no reason why these drugs should not be made available in the same way that they are in more developed countries. In large part, the refusal to consider legitimate export or even stockpiling of poppy crops under the supervision of international organizations has been the result of the "war on drugs" waged by the U.S. that has stifled creative and productive thinking within organizations like the INCB.
Because of these ideological stumbling blocks and the lack of comprehensive international cooperation on the issue, U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan have not seized the opportunity to direct the sale of Afghan poppies for the production of these desperately needed drugs. Instead, they have attempted, and failed, to eradicate poppy production through a series of misguided strategies. They've seized poppy fields by force, angering the local population. They've offered cash rewards to poppy farmers who agreed to plow under their crops. This strategy led to a new crop of poppy farmers, as those growing food destroyed their crops and planted poppies in order to collect the reward for then destroying them. Intimidation, force, attempted alliances and battles with local drug lords have failed to curb poppy production, which is currently at record levels. The reality is that, as long as farmers need to earn a living, and as long as a market exists for poppies, poppy farming will be a fact of life in Afghanistan.
The reason that poppy farming is such a concern in Afghanistan is that the Taliban and other drug lords control the sale of poppies to international opium traders. The sale of the poppies for the creation of illegal drugs funds the Taliban and other rogue groups operating in Afghanistan, and thus enables them to fight U.S. and international forces.
The Afghan farmers, however, have no personal interest in the ultimate destination of their poppies. Rather than destroying these people's livelihood, the U.S. military should work with local and international groups to protect farmers from Taliban and drug lord enforcers, and secure the purchase of poppy crops at generous prices. Right now, poppy farmers derive protection and their livelihood from those running the illicit drug trade. But they also fear the drug lords and resent the Taliban. What they want is stability, safety, and an income. The U.S. and its allies can deliver these conditions and should make it their priority to secure these things for the farmers.
In recent years, the Gates Foundation and other international donor organizations have focused on health crises in the developing world and made an enormous amount of funding available for promising programs aimed at preventing, curing and treating widespread illnesses. NGOs dedicated to providing palliative care and assisting those with cancer, HIV, AIDS and other painful conditions are operating to the best of their ability given the lack of available drugs, throughout the developing world. This means that the funding to buy the poppy crops of Afghan farmers and subsidize the manufacture and distribution of morphine for use in the developing world is available, and the groups to distribute the drugs and associated care are in place.
What is missing in this picture is leadership. The U.S. and international forces should work together with the WHO, the INCB, and various governments, NGOs and healthcare providers to facilitate the sale of the poppy crops to organizations making and distributing morphine in the developing world. Through creative programs, strategies and partnerships, the U.S. and international forces have the opportunity to undermine the illicit drug trade in Afghanistan while helping the economy of that fragile country and providing desperately-needed resources to sick people who deserve basic palliative care. It's time for the U.S. to seize this moment for leadership and put in place policies that will not only strengthen regional security but also do enormous good for suffering people.