This week a story aired on the growth of the Afghanistan opium market. In 2006 alone, the cultivation of opium has surged 60% according to a DEA representative who's hard at work with PM Karzi's government on tackling the issue.

Why is this important? Because farmers are being threatened by the Taliban who's resurged in the country because they know that the sale of opium to make heroin is one of their big means to finance. They're no just threatening the farmers, they're offering protection and security if they continue growing for them. And you know what? Guess who their biggest consumer is? WE ARE, yep....America is.

About 35% of Afghanistan's GDP comes from the sale of opium.

Distruction of the opium is already underway. I'm guessing that it's the US exterting most pressure on its destruction. I'm not to concerned about the ostensibe unemployment of the farmers, I'm concerned with the sale of this getting back into the hands of the Taliban. The country supplies the world 92% of the world's opium supply. Plus, heroin use is a leading cause of the spread of HIV around the world. So, what do we do? Intervening might be seen as the US policing the world, but I don't really care about world opinion. If Afghanistan is helping to lead the efforts, and they want us to join them, great. I wish I had a crystal ball. I believe in taking action for the greater good. So let's take out opium, and thus take out the a growing domestic drug problem, the financing of the Taliban who's also a threat to our efforts in Afghanistan's reconstruction. Even the youth admit that they use heroin because there's no jobs for them. Don't worry guys... Wal-Mart will be there soon enough to create employment? Comments?