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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch

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To: epicure who wrote (25573)	8/15/2003 10:16:32 AM
From: epicure	Read Replies (1) of 89467

Good news for opium lovers: Opium Cultivation Reported Surging WASHINGTON, Aug. 14 — A surge in opium cultivation in Afghanistan is "a whale of a tough problem" that defies easy solutions, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said today. Speaking at a town hall meeting of Pentagon employees, Mr. Rumsfeld said the Bush administration would continue to act in a supporting role for an Afghan and British eradication program, though he acknowledged its limited progress. The amount of land dedicated to growing the illicit opium poppy, which is the raw material for opium and heroin, jumped to 76,000 acres last year, according to State Department figures. Officials said the numbers continue to rise as growers take advantage of the limited reach of law enforcement under the fledgling government of President Karzai. Afghanistan is the world's largest producer of opium. By contrast, in 2001, when the Taliban controlled the country and enforced an opium ban, only 4,200 acres were cultivated, according to the State Department's International Narcotics Control Strategy Report.

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