Pubdate: Mon, 25 Jul 2005
Source: Financial Times (UK)
Copyright: The Financial Times Limited 2005
Contact:  http://www.ft.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/154
Author: Andrew Jack
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)

AFGHANS TO CONSIDER LEGALISING OPIUM PRODUCTION

Afghan farmers could from next year be able to grow opium for legal 
medicinal purposes, under an innovative plan designed to curb illegal 
production being drawn up by a drug policy think-tank.

The Senlis Council, a group that studies narcotics, is in preliminary 
talks with international organisations and Afghan regional 
administrations to garner their support for pilot programmes designed 
to tackle the country's problem with opium by using it to produce the 
legal painkillers codeine and morphine.

The council, due to present in September a feasibility study funded 
by a dozen European social policy foundations, calculates that Afghan 
farmers and intermediaries could receive revenues from the scheme 
that almost match their current earnings from unauthorised opium 
production for smuggling abroad.

The plan could help bring greater stability to Afghanistan and reduce 
illegal flows of opium to the rest of the world.

It could also help fill developing nations' large demand for 
painkillers. The group calculates this demand could be for twice the 
amount of Afghanistan's annual opium harvest.

"This may be the only chance Afghanistan has to solve its drug 
problem," said Emmanuel Reinert, co-ordinator of the study for the 
Senlis Council, who emphasised that discussions were at an early stage.

He hoped agreement for pilot projects could be reached later this 
year. "We think there are some good possibilities for shifting the 
debate," Mr Reinert said.

He said the plan had met cautious interest from officials including 
Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, although some members of the 
Afghan cabinet and foreign governments had expressed concern it could 
undermine current efforts to eradicate domestic opium production.

However, he argued neither eradication nor alternative employment 
programmes provided a realistic short-term alternative for Afghan 
farmers of opium, which accounts for an estimated 60 per cent of the 
country's gross domestic product and 80 per cent of the world's 
illegally consumed heroin.

The Senlis plan is modelled on programmes in India and Turkey, which 
have helped reduce illegal opium production through a strictly 
supervised licensing scheme backed by the US Congress.

Congress requires 80 per cent of painkillers for the US market to use 
materials originating from these two countries.

Mr Reinert said Turkey may be supportive because Afghan drug 
smuggling threatens its security, while India may resist new 
suppliers of painkillers.
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