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Politics : War -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Carolyn who wrote (2390)	7/16/2001 11:19:30 PM
From: Ilaine	Respond to of 23908

Now, see, this is exactly the type of thing I was talking about. Ask yourself, why has the truth been hidden from everyone else until now, and why has newamerican.com somehow stumbled on a truth that has evaded governments, police forces, international law enforcement agencies, and journalists of all persuasions? The "truth" about drugs is that people who deal drugs make an incredible amount of money without much work. Oh, and that people who use drugs really, really like them, and don't mind paying an incredible amount of money in order to have them. Are government employees involved in drug trafficking? Sure, corruption is everywhere. Is it the official government policy of any government? Well, probably not in the Soviet Union, considering how many of its own citizens are drug addicts. Could it be the policy of China? I suppose it could - but far more likely it's simply the product of criminals, organized crime and disorganized crime. I love the idea of Soviet Kommissars growing heroin poppies, harvesting them, purifying the opium, turning it into heroin, and sending the packages out stamped with a red star, but seriously, do you really think they could compete with the free market? Even the Soviet Kommisars can't compete with the Russian mafia. Similarly, even Chinese commissars can't compete with the Tong. No, as a good capitalist, I refuse to believe that any government can deal illegal drugs as well as the free market. The primary source of opium is Afghanistan, followed by Burma. If I were going to point the finger at anyone, Islam would have to be on the list of hypotheticals - but even so, I believe it's really due to organized crime. From the CIA website: >>illicit drugs: limited cultivation of illicit cannabis and opium poppy and producer of amphetamines, mostly for domestic consumption; government has active eradication program; increasingly used as transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian opiates and cannabis and Latin American cocaine to Western Europe, possibly to the US, and growing domestic market; major source of heroin precursor chemicals<< cia.gov

To: Carolyn who wrote (2390)	7/16/2001 11:42:11 PM
From: Ilaine	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 23908

From the Department of Justice: >>National Drug Intelligence Center National Drug Threat Assessment 2001 - The Domestic Perspective October 2000 Heroin Heroin produced in South America, Mexico, Southeast Asia, and Southwest Asia is available in the United States. Nearly half of the available heroin in the United States comes from South America. Colombian organizations control the cultivation of opium poppy and the production of South American heroin, which occur primarily in Colombia. They, along with associated Dominican groups, are primarily responsible for transportation as well as wholesale and retail distribution. Both Mexican brown powdered and black tar heroin are preferred in the western United States and in portions of the Midwest. Mexican organizations control production and transportation as well as wholesale and retail distribution of both forms of Mexican heroin. Southeast Asian heroin is encountered much less frequently than either South American or Mexican heroin. Opium poppy is cultivated and Southeast Asian heroin processed in a common border area of Burma, Laos, and Thailand. Nigerian and ethnic Chinese groups are primarily responsible for smuggling Southeast Asian heroin into the United States and for wholesale and retail distribution. Southwest Asian heroin is the least frequently encountered form of heroin in the United States. Although large quantities of heroin are produced in Southwest Asia, primarily Afghanistan, little is destined for the United States. A variety of groups are involved in importing Southwest Asian heroin into the United States, while many different groups, including Albanian, Iranian, Lebanese, Nigerian, Pakistani, Palestinian, and Serbian groups are all involved in the actual smuggling and wholesale distribution. Palestinian groups, as well as Dominican and Puerto Rican organizations, often sell Southwest Asian heroin at the retail level. << usdoj.gov