by Frank James
The State Department is out with its latest report on the international illegal-drug situation.
It's a long (638 pages) country-by-country report. I have not read every page. Not by a long shot.
Anyway, David Johnson, Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and law enforcement affairs, gave the press an overview of the report today which analyzes each nation's cooperation in fighting or contribution towards furthering the world's illegal drug problems.
Among the take-aways. Venezuela and Burma are growing problems; the former because it continues to be a major launching point for South American cocaine bound for Europe through West Africa, the latter because it is the world's largest source of methamphetamine pills.
While Columbia appears to be mounting an increasingly effective eradication program, Bolivia and Peru are picking up the slack in terms of production.
Afghanistan, of course, remains a huge problem in terms of opium and heroin production although there's some hope that the spring poppy crop may fall a little this year compared with last.
Mexico is waging a real war against narco traffickers. But the problem is so great, it remains a long, twilight struggle there.
This is from Johnson's statement opening the press conference:
While Colombia leads the world in coca cultivation and is the source of 90 percent of the cocaine entering the United States, it's made notable progress in combating the drug traffickers and narco- terrorists that only recently posed serious threats to the stability of that country. We've employed a comprehensive regional approach focused on eradication, interdiction, alternative development, extradition and judicial reform.
Last year, with U.S. assistance, Colombia eliminated a record- breaking 153,000 hectares of coca through aerial eradication and another 66,000 through manual eradication. Colombia has begun to take responsibility for some key programs, and we will continue to work closely with the government of Colombia on transferring additional operational and financial control for counternarcotics and rule of law programs.
We remain concerned about recently increased coca cultivation in Bolivia and Peru.
Coca grower associations seek to link coca cultivation to issues of cultural identity and national pride, and sometimes oppose eradication efforts. Traffickers exploit these unions for their own benefit.
A new and burgeoning concern is the rapid growth of cocaine trafficking to Europe from Latin America through transit states in West Africa. The international community is seized with drug trafficking through Western Africa and is working with governments there in developing capacity to address this issue. It's an issue that deserves greater attention, especially from the European states that are the markets for these products.
The opium trade in Afghanistan poses serious challenges. In 2007 Afghanistan grew 93 percent of the world's opium poppy. Poppy production soared in the southern provinces where the insurgency is strong. There's incontrovertible evidence that the Taliban used drug trafficking proceeds to fund insurgent activities. The counternarcotics-counterinsurgency nexus is both real and growing.
At the same time, poppy cultivation has declined in the poorer but more secure northern and central provinces, 13 of which were poppy-free in 2007. We believe the lesson's clear. Where security exists, our counternarcotics strategy is gaining traction through more effective public information campaigns, the better establishment of governance and delivery of services, and the empowerment of local leaders such as the government of -- governor of Balkh and this year, the governor of Nangarhar.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime recently released its annual winter assessment survey of Afghan opium cultivation for the coming spring season, and it predicts that opium cultivation in Afghanistan is likely to decrease slightly in 2008. Such a reversal would be a welcome development after years of double digit growth, but continued intensive effort will be required for many years to reduce the huge amount of cultivation, particularly in the south.
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Comments
Well we all know someone who has admitted taking illegal drugs...and from his left wing radical views and speeches it's had an effect on his mind and robot followers.
Paulo
Posted by: Paulo | February 29, 2008 5:45 PM
bill clinton made the drug issue a joke by first saying I never inhaled and later by saying he wished he had inhaled (when pandering to an MTV crowd late in his 2nd term)
please no more clowns in the white house - no more bush/clinton/bush/clinton !!!
Posted by: tom | February 29, 2008 6:07 PM
Legalize drugs but punish harshly anyone who damages property, life or limb while testing positive for drugs.
What would happen is that the price would drop and the illegal means of delivery and distribution would be wiped out.
Posted by: Bud McFarlin | February 29, 2008 6:21 PM
I thought we were winning the now hundreds of Billions of dollar 'war on drugs'??
Posted by: C.Morris | February 29, 2008 6:48 PM
So the loans from China aren't enough to fund this no-bid war? Wherever there are drugs, there's our post WW2 "Intelligence" community. Anybody else smell Otto Reich?
Posted by: Golden Oldie | February 29, 2008 7:13 PM
tom, Is there another Bush, running in upcoming election?
Posted by: Mark | February 29, 2008 8:37 PM
In the Trib today, there was a report advising that almost 1 in 100 Americans was in jail. If that is not sad, I don't know what is.
Now we have a report stating that 'illegal drug problem is growing'. No, stupid drug laws are wasting billions of dollars.
Ron Paul Republics, join us Liberal Democrats to quit wasting dollars on these stupid drug programs.
Posted by: weinerdog43 | February 29, 2008 10:54 PM
Well we all know someone who has admitted taking illegal drugs...and from his left wing radical views and speeches it's had an effect on his mind and robot followers.
Paulo
Posted by: Paulo | February 29, 2008 5:45 PM
Robot Paulo, please report to the utility muffin research kitchen for your daily dosage of crack and republican brainwashing Kool-Aid. Try to stand erect while you scamper over to the nearest cyber cafe that allows cave-dwellers into their establishment. Post your daily self-deception proclamation on The Swamp. Then slither your way back under your rock. Repeat daily until your unemployment benefits run out or you are returned safely to the nearest insane asylum!
Posted by: paulo or paula | March 1, 2008 12:44 AM
"Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and law enforcement affairs,"
I just can't get over these job titles...Who makes them up?
Seriously, drugs should be legal and users should get them from a doctor. When the addict wants to come clean, then you get them help. End the illegal drug trade and you solve the problem. Unfortunately, the people who sell the drugs will find another way to make money without contributing positively to society.
Posted by: lochnessmonster | March 1, 2008 6:56 AM
tom, Is there another Bush, running in upcoming election?
Posted by: Mark | February 29, 2008 8:37 PM
Yes ....John "McCain" Bush.
Posted by: bill "hussein" r. | March 1, 2008 7:59 AM
I thought we were winning the now hundreds of Billions of dollar 'war on drugs'??
Posted by: C.Morris | February 29, 2008 6:48 PM
All you need to do is read Paulo's comment to realize the war on drugs is far from over. Paulo crack kills. Stay off the pipe!!!
Posted by: Logic Prisoner | March 1, 2008 9:42 AM
These morons running the country are all good and well about paying lip service to the "free market", and "capitalism" and the "invisible hand". But then they try to stop a market where demand is huge. Won't any of these moron politicians in DC ever finally admit there is no way to stop drug consumption? We can reduce, not eliminate, drug use through education and rehabilitation. But no, they want to get tough. As a result, we pour billions into interdiction, and the rest into jails (we ARE the most incarcerated population in the world) and now they say drug use is still growing. Well duh! Legalize everything, tax it, and use the money to educate and rehabilitate. The money we save on "the war on drugs" alone would probably eliminate bu$hco's massive deficit.
Posted by: rncbs | March 1, 2008 3:53 PM
The United States government, both Republican and Democrat, as the most vociferous advocate of the terrorist funding and crime subsidizing war on drugs, is again the biggest supporter of the Taliban and of global stateless terrorism that the United States government has known since the 1990's is funded with narco-dollars.
A regulated market would take billions of dollars out of the hands of terrorist armies. America just says no!
I stopped voting for Democrats and Republicans in the 1990's due to their support of this crime and terrorism subsidy program. I will only vote for real Americans who oppose the American democracy subverting Jim Crow war on drugs.
Posted by: Pat | March 1, 2008 6:37 PM
This ties in with the PEW report about the number of people the US has in jail for non-violent crimes. Drugs should be legal, addicts should get them from doctors so you know who they are, and when they are ready for help, we need to give it to them. Addicts have a disease.
Posted by: lochnessmonster | March 2, 2008 4:19 PM
Wow, drug use in the United States is huge. So many people sell drugs and use drugs today. So many people sell themself short! I just don't get it. The more drugs you do the more you dig yourself into a hole you may never get out from. Maybe one day drug users will wake up! The police don't have the time or money to fight drugs in 2008.
Posted by: James S. Klich II | May 12, 2008 2:53 PM
Mr. James the country's name is ColOmbia with an O, not ColUmbia as you wrote in your article! Columbia is the capital of SC and Colombia is the country in South America.
Posted by: Martha Bottia-N | July 30, 2008 2:46 PM