This is one of those moments that some day in the future, you will look back upon and say, “I was there in the beginning, before all this.”

And this year’s opium harvest will almost certainly be the largest ever. In the five years since the overthrow of the Taliban regime, land under cultivation for poppy has grown from 8,000 to 165,000 hectares.

Afghanistan can evolve into one of two things: the birthing place and nexus of the heroin trade, or an essential production facility in the manufacture of cheap and essential medicinal opiates. Both scenarios would have far-ranging effects on millions of people. When will our leaders begin to pursue the one that helps people?

Here is a good short discussion about our continuing failure in the “war on drugs.” The money quote:

The reporter places no emphasis on the most astonishing (if true) fact in the story: grams of highly pure Afghan heroin are now trading at $90 in LA. That’s about a dime per pure milligram, compared with $2.50 a pure milligram in New York during the “French Connection” days. For a naive user, 5mg of heroin is a hefty dose, so your first heroin experience is now available for less than the price of a candy bar.  Read more 

So KBR is getting rich while we turn another six month corner. Guess who else is too:

British officials are bracing themselves for the result of an annual UN poppy survey due later this summer. Early indications show an increase on Helmand’s 1999 record of 45,000 hectares (112,500 acres) and a near-doubling of last year’s crop.

“It’s going to be massive,” said one British drugs official. “My guess is it’s going to be the biggest ever.” UN, American and Afghan officials agreed.  Read more