The Pharmaceutical Journal Vol 267 No 7173 676-680
10 November 2001

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Letters to the Editor

Onlooker

Terrorism and opium

From Mr U. Shabibi, MRPharmS

In his association of terrorism and opium cultivation in Afghanistan (PJ, 20 October, p576), "Onlooker" was far from convincing. Neither was he accurate in blaming the Taliban for the evils brought in by 30 years of wars, poverty and famine.

The problem of opium poppy growing in Afghanistan and elsewhere needs a better solution than the destruction of poppy fields as "Onlooker" suggests. The population of Afghanistan, in particular, needs vast humanitarian interventions to drag them back from the brink of famine. This would show people that, unlike the Taliban, the West is on their side. As the debilitated country begins to recover, people will eventually replace the poppy fields. It is a fact that the devastation of Afghanistan, coupled with the increasing demand for opium in affluent countries and the lucrative business for middlemen and traffickers, all contribute to the problem of poppy growing.

Usama Shabibi
Edgware, Middlesex

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