From British daily The Independent:
Opium: Iraq’s deadly new exportMany people are so poor in Iraq that they cannot afford rice any more.Amid the anarchy, farmers begin to grow opium poppies, raising fears that the country could become a major heroin supplier
By Patrick Cockburn in Baghdad
Published: 23 May 2007
Farmers in southern Iraq have started to grow opium poppies in their fields for the first time, sparking fears that Iraq might become a serious drugs producer along the lines of Afghanistan.
Rice farmers along the Euphrates, to the west of the city of Diwaniya, south of Baghdad, have stopped cultivating rice, for which the area is famous, and are instead planting poppies, Iraqi sources familiar with the area have told The Independent.
So, crops for export might look more economically viable; like in Afghanistan …
There is no inherent reason why the opium poppy should not be grown in the hot and well-watered land in southern Iraq.Opium fields spread across Iraq as farmers try to make ends meet: here.It was cultivated in the area as early as 3,400BC and was known to the ancient Sumerians as Hul Gil, the “joy plant”.
Some of the earliest written references to the opium poppy come from clay tablets found in the ruins of the city of Nippur, just to the east of Diwaniya.
Opium addiction in Afghanistan: here. And here.
Iraq becoming major hub for international narcotics smuggling
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Monday, July 07, 2008
Iraq becoming major hub for international narcotics smuggling
Salam Faraj
Agence France Presse
BAGHDAD: War-torn Iraq is emerging as a key conduit in the global drugs trade, as criminal gangs exploit its porous border with Iran to channel their illicit goods to the Middle East, Africa and Europe. The Iraqi authorities say that since the 2003 US-led invasion the trade in illegal opiates, cannabis and synthetic pharmaceuticals has risen steadily
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=93836
Comment by Administrator — July 7, 2008 @ 10:52 pm