Octavius Hite
Joined: 28 Jan 2004
Location: Househunting, looking for a new bunker from which to convert the world to homosexuality.
|
 Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2007 4:39 pm Post subject: Most Canadians back 'poppy for medicine' program: poll |
 |
|
Imagine, a policy that worked and made sense, dare to dream!
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2007/09/04/poppies-medicine.html
| Quote: |
Eight in 10 Canadians support "poppy for medicine" projects in Afghanistan � programs that involve growing poppies for the manufacturing of opium used to make legal medications, an Ipsos Reid poll suggests.
The poll was conducted on behalf of the Senlis Council, a British think tank.
An Afghan police officer stands guard in poppy fields during a poppy eradication campaign east of Kabul, Afghanistan, on April 11, 2007. Afghanistan produced dramatically more opium in 2006, according to a recent UN report. An Afghan police officer stands guard in poppy fields during a poppy eradication campaign east of Kabul, Afghanistan, on April 11, 2007. Afghanistan produced dramatically more opium in 2006, according to a recent UN report.
The plan aims to use the opium produced by Afghan farmers for for the production of legal medicines, such as morphine and codeine tablets, which are in short supply, according to the Senlis Group.
Currently, Afghan farmers are cultivating poppies to generate much-needed income. However, they're selling them to produce raw opium, which is being sold to make illegal narcotics such as heroin. A recent UN survey found that opium cultivation in Kandahar is up by 26 per cent from 2006.
Under the plan, the legal cultivation and conversion of poppies would occur within Afghan villages and the entire production process, from seed to medicine tablet, would be controlled by the village in collaboration with the UN and international overseers.
All economic profits from medicine sales would remain in the village, allowing for economic diversification, the Senlis Council says.
Continue Article
According to the Ipsos Reid poll, which surveyed 1000 adults between Aug. 14 and Aug. 16, 2007, 70 per cent of Canadians feel Prime Minister Harper would support a pilot poppy project in Afghanistan for the next planting season.
"You can see that Canadians really want a positive relationship with the Afghan farmers � they want them to have an economic opportunity to earn a legal earning," Norine MacDonald, president and founder of Senlis Council, told CBC News.
Fostering good relations
MacDonald feels that the poppies for medicine project could be a vehicle for a positive relationship between Canada and the Afghans.
"Prime Minister Harper has got to make a choice between supporting President [George W.] Bush's aggressive counter-narcotics policy in Afghanistan or these positive policies, which would allow the Canadian military to be operating in an environment where the Afghan farmers felt that we were on their side," MacDonald said.
The U.S. wants the Afghan poppy fields to be eradicated, something 53 per cent of Canadians strongly or somewhat oppose, the poll suggests.
"The prime minister's got to do everything he can to make sure that we've got local support and we're in that positive relationship with the Afghan farmers," MacDonald said. |
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
