State Dept drug report plays politics

The U.S. State Department report on the worldwide illegal drugs trade issued March 1 reads like a political propaganda bulletin more than a real research report. Regimes that have Bush administration support, such as Colombia and Afghanistan, get patted on the head for their alleged drug control efforts, while heads of state that give Bush hell (as in Venezuela, Bolivia, and others) get blasted for alleged complicity in the dirty business.

The facts remain -- and the report admits -- that Colombia produces 90 per cent of the world supply of cocaine, and Afghanistan supplies more than 90 per cent of the heroin, and both are close allies of the Bush administration. Neither Colombia nor Afghanistan could achieve anything remotely near this kind of market domination without at least the active benevolence of their respective governments.

The report, which runs to 9 megabytes in PDF online (Vol. 1 here and Vol. 2 here), shows its political bias most transparently in the summary on Afghanistan. While admitting that Afghan opium production increased 25 per cent last year, the report claims that heroin stemming from Afghan opium is distributed almost exclusively in Europe, Russia, the Middle East and Asia. It claims that most of the heroin sold in the U.S. comes from poppies grown in Colombia and Mexico, which together account for only four per cent of the world supply.

The State Department strains credulity when it asks us to believe that the huge U.S. heroin demand is fed by this relative trickle of supply. The report says in one passing sentence that "Heroin produced from Afghan opium also finds its way to the United States" (Vol. 1, p. 19) but makes no effort to quantify this grudging admission.

The presence of Afghan heroin in the United States is a political landmine for the Bush administration. The bumper crops of opium recorded in Afghanistan since the invasion are unmistakably the administration's baby. To protect the administration, the State Department, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy all repeat the fairy tale that Afghan heroin in the U.S. is insignificant. But local police and treatment staff in many parts of the U.S. know better. Search this blog under "Afghanistan" for a selection of local news stories, many of them from the heartland, about heroin addiction and overdose deaths due to the high-potency white powder heroin made in Afghanistan under the protection of American troops by a regime propped up with American taxpayer dollars.

WHAT war on drugs?" As Gandhi reportedly said about Western civilization, "I think it would be a good idea."

Arson fire in Moscow detox clinic kills 45 women

A fire in the women's wing of Drug Treatment Hospital No. 17 in southwest Moscow killed 45 patients and two staff members Dec. 9. The blaze was almost certainly arson, authorities said.

The women's wing on the second floor of the old five-story hospital building was locked and had bars on the windows like a prison. A Moscow prosecutor said that clinic authorities could have prevented the disaster by unlocking doors in a timely manner, but failed to do so. Source.

French President Jacques Chirac, on a visit to Moscow, sent his condolences to relatives of the victims. Source.

Have another puff of polonium

Polonium, the radioactive element that killed Russian researcher Alexander Litvinenko in London last week, is present in cigarettes. A New York Times op-ed by Robert N. Proctor says that the tobacco industry "has been aware at least since the 1960s that cigarettes contain significant levels of polonium." Details.

Alcoholic mega-Jonestown in Russia

MOSCOW, November 1 (RIA Novosti) - Between 550,000 and 700,000 people die in Russia every year of alcohol poisoning and related illnesses, a Russian lawmaker said Wednesday, citing a scientific report.

Russia has seen a surge in mass alcohol poisoning cases from bootleg alcohol and alcohol-based chemicals in recent months, and large numbers of fatalities have been registered throughout the country.

The speaker of the lower house of parliament, Boris Gryzlov, said Tuesday that a total of 17,000 people were killed as a direct result of consuming bootleg liquor and alcohol substitutes in Russia from January to early September. Source.

Drinks Giant Scores Higher Profits

Diageo PLC, the world's Number 1 alcoholic drinks group, said it was on track with its full-year target for underlying operating profit to grow by at least 7 per cent after the first quarter. The British owner of Smirnoff vodka and Red Stripe beer said it gained market share in the North American market in the July-September period. Europe was mixed, however, with a double-digit percentage rise in Russian sales offset by a weaker market in Spain and slower sales of Guinness in the U.K. Source.

Wives of Alcoholics Screen Men for Sobriety

So serious is the effect of alcoholism on the Russian economy that an entrepreneur has started a registry of certified sober workers.

Wives of known alcoholics serve on the committee that examines the men for the certificate, because they have the necessary experience to spot the tell-tale signs.

Employers pay a fee to get access to the list of certified sober workers.

Drink has a serious impact on Russia’s economy. A 1995 study found that regular drunkenness affected as many as 60 per cent of manual and 21 per cent of white-collar staff. Source.

Make them Eat Dinner

"MOSCOW. Sept 19 (Interfax) - The Russian Interior Ministry is drafting a bill requiring mandatory medical checkups of teenagers detained by police for alcohol or substance abuse.

"The problem of adolescent alcohol and substance abuse remains as acute as before. In 2006 alone, more than 12,600 crimes have been committed by teenagers after drinking or drug use," Vladimir Golubovsky, deputy head of the Interior Ministry's Public Order Department, told the press in Moscow on Tuesday." Source.

Medical checkups? Dumb idea. They should be forced to have dinner with their parents instead. See below.