A New Product at the Market

It was probably only a matter of time before the Al-Qaeda surrogates in Iraq started cultivating poppies in Iraq. It is easy to grow, and it can survive in very harsh environments (see Afghanistan). The Independent has insightful article on this new front of the war in Iraq. Al-Qaeda has been able to use opium to its advantage in Afghanistan as a source of funding, and will undoubtedly use this business model in Iraq. Given the higher cost of living, post-invasion, I can see why farmers are turning to the most lucrative product. At the same time the social costs of heroin are enormous. What the U.S. military needs to do is wipe these operations out post haste, and reclaim the land from the terrorist/farmers.