April 28th, 2010
02:00 PM ET
2 tons of opium confiscated
KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghan authorities on Wednesday seized more than two tons of opium during a patrol, officials said.
The huge cache of drugs was found in the Reg-e Khan Heshin district of Helmand province, according to a news release.
A joint Afghan-international patrol approached several vehicles whose drivers attempted to flee, authorities said.
One of the vehicles became stuck in the sand. Inside, the Afghan Border Police found 4,600 pounds (2,090 kilograms) of raw opium and approximately 24 pounds (11 kilograms) of a substance believed to be heroin.
Authorities also confiscated a satellite phone and a two-way radio. Two men were arrested for possession of the drugs, the news release said.
Clint, are you referring to all drugs in your post (even the legal and man made ones) or just the illegal ones? There are parents who use the TV and ignore their children, has nothing to do with the drug, has to do with them being, wait for it, BAD PARENTS! FAS, as in Fetal-ALCOHOL-Syndrome? What of the women who smoke during pregnancy, take man made prescription drugs, imbibe too much caffeine?
The fact that you say it causes problems for you in the social fields, is a moot point. The people psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers and the like see already have problems, the drugs just compound them. Sure there may be a few cases where drug use causes the problem, but I've met a LOT more functioning potheads than I have psycho ones.
@ Kyle is right
Are you serious?
Addictive Potential – See, caffiene, alcohol, nicotine, and any plethora of pychiatric drugs on the market, Next
Marijuana and Mental Health – See above, add in St. John's Wort and others that may have similar effects. Next
Effects on the Heart – Caffeine, many "health store" products, go to any gas station and you find more "energy" drinks or derivitives that can cause same or worse.. Next
Effects on the Lungs – Again, tar from cigarettes. Hell, go outside in ANY MAJOR city worldwide and you are taking your long term life into your own hands. Next
Effects on Daily Life – Again, alchol, pyscotropipc drugs, depressions, anxiety, PTSD, or any other mentally destructive disease, legal painkillers, etc. Next.
Now, does marijuana cause some of these issues. Maybe but to be so naive, that nothing else does. Damn.
If you want to support someone in their rhetorical garbage. COME UP WITH FACTS
Hey Kyle you F****** F****t
Tough guy. You've made a lot of threats of physical violence so I take your challenge.
My address is:
222 S Wyomissing Blvd
2nd floor
Shillington, pa 19607
bring it pussy
Why don't you put this much energy into fighting child abuse or people molesting children rather than arguing about drugs ? People have thier own choices in what they smoke , drink , snort or shoot up. FREEDOM OF CHOICE wether its legal or not , but on the other hand we have stiffer rules on cock fighting , (NO PHUN INTENDED LOL) but people who molest children get less jail time over people who smoke a friggin joint or mistreat a animal over someone who rapes a child ! Get off your drug debate and kick a priests ass or someone who touches a child .
@Fred drug use, even marijuana use does cause problems for us in the social fields, psychiatrists, psychologists, MD's, counselors, and social workers. The negative effects of drug use permeates our fields of work, not just legal problems. I mean in one respect, the people who use substances legal and illegal provide us jobs (as long as the entitlement system is in place). However, there are parents who use marijuana and ignore their children. I have seen children with FAS. Here is a question for those who want to legalize, how much longer can our entitlement system support the substance choices of these people, substance legality aside? Considering the social work field is already overworked/unpaid.
@WhoSaid, it's not that I disagree with all of what you're saying, so please don't assume that. But, you appear to be arguing for something that's outside the scope of the discussion. It's really reductionist to use "people will kill you for the last 5 dollars you have in your pocket" in this discussion. While you're right, in order for this to be germane to the topic, we have to conclude that you are speaking of users committing these crimes, which is absolutely not the case. Since this then reduces the argument to all people who commit crimes as a sample size, how does this relate, even tangentially, to legalizing drugs? Does that make sense? I think the point is well made that legalizing will not create a slippery slope of crime and murder, but equally, it will not solve all the problems in one fell swoop. We need to stop thinking in generalizations and look at the positives that can be derived and balance them against the negatives. I think this crosses into Steve's argument as well, which appears to be very polar. I don't think rational people think this action will stop people from using, but it stands to reason that it will hurt (I won't go as far as to say cripple, though possible) the cartels. The alcohol counter-argument is sound, and will be, in logical discourse, hard for you to refute without falling into equivocation problems.
So if people will kill you for money, should we outlaw it as well? You've just proven my point, thank you. Where I live is basically the armpit of America, in between Cleveland, Columbus, and Akron Ohio. All fairly large cities with their share of the downtrodden. Very rarely do I hear a story of someone being shot for a six pack, or a pack of smokes. Money I hear a lot of, but not the others, Regardless, you've basically just stated yourself that people will kill for any reason.
The point is, 90% of the crimes involving illegal drugs (theft, murder, kidnapping, etc) ALL stem from those drugs being illegal and controlled by an underground black market. Have you studied nothing about prohibition? As another poster said further up, prohibition created Al Capone, not the other way around. Likewise, the "War on Drugs" has created these super powerful Mexican Cartels that even their police and Government are afraid of, not the other way around.
Now, compare those pot stats with alcohol stats and tell me which is more destructive. Oh, don't forget to factor in the long term care costs assiciated with alcoholic cirrhosis and hepatitis, medically managed detoxes and inpatient/outpatient treatment. The argument is not, or at least should not be, about whether or not marijuana is harmless. It is/should be about whether or not it is harmless enough to be legalized. If we take alcohol and cigarettes as our models, then pot should be a go.
They're comming for you Kyle. I guarantee it!!!
Kyle. So you think legal, medical drugs are safer than illegal drugs?
Tell that the parents, friends and partners of Heath Ledger, Britney Murphy, and Corey Haim, just to name a few. I suspect you will get much for than you bargined for in your "argument" And let's not forget the litany of people who have died because of unknown, severe reactions to legal medication. Does that make the 23 month old girl who died of a heparin overdose at the hands of "trained professionals" a stoner as well?
And really, if you want to spew about with name calling, attacking peoples parents, and such, give your self the dignity of a coherent sentence and argument for ANYTHING against drug use or legallization. I dare you. NO, I double dog dare you!!
As far as the other posters in this thread. JUST STOP RESPONDING TO HIS CRAP LADEN,UNINFORMED, NAIIVE RHETORIC. He will go away. I promise.
p.s. I am not a stoner and don't believe anything you have to say and think you are full of crap.
Whether you like it or not, Kyle is right. Most people that argue for legalization are stoners or addicts. The addicts can aruge that pot is harmless, but that is a bunch of crap. It DOES impair judgement, reflexes, and other neurolgical functions. They obviously spin their research to support their arguments, but there is no denying the harmful effects of the drug.
Addictive Potential
Long-term marijuana abuse can lead to addiction; that is, compulsive drug seeking and abuse despite its known harmful effects upon social functioning in the context of family, school, work, and recreational activities. Long-term marijuana abusers trying to quit report irritability, sleeplessness, decreased appetite, anxiety, and drug craving, all of which make it difficult to quit. These withdrawal symptoms begin within about 1 day following abstinence, peak at 2–3 days, and subside within 1 or 2 weeks following drug cessation.5
Marijuana and Mental Health
A number of studies have shown an association between chronic marijuana use and increased rates of anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and schizophrenia. Some of these studies have shown age at first use to be a factor, where early use is a marker of vulnerability to later problems. However, at this time, it is not clear whether marijuana use causes mental problems, exacerbates them, or is used in attempt to self-medicate symptoms already in existence. Chronic marijuana use, especially in a very young person, may also be a marker of risk for mental illnesses, including addiction, stemming from genetic or environmental vulnerabilities, such as early exposure to stress or violence. At the present time, the strongest evidence links marijuana use and schizophrenia and/or related disorders.6 High doses of marijuana can produce an acute psychotic reaction; in addition, use of the drug may trigger the onset or relapse of schizophrenia in vulnerable individuals.
What Other Adverse Effect Does Marijuana Have on Health?
Effects on the Heart
Marijuana increases heart rate by 20–100 percent shortly after smoking; this effect can last up to 3 hours. In one study, it was estimated that marijuana users have a 4.8-fold increase in the risk of heart attack in the first hour after smoking the drug.7 This may be due to the increased heart rate as well as effects of marijuana on heart rhythms, causing palpitations and arrhythmias. This risk may be greater in aging populations or those with cardiac vulnerabilities.
Effects on the Lungs
Numerous studies have shown marijuana smoke to contain carcinogens and to be an irritant to the lungs. In fact, marijuana smoke contains 50–70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than does tobacco smoke. Marijuana users usually inhale more deeply and hold their breath longer than tobacco smokers do, which further increase the lungs’ exposure to carcinogenic smoke. Marijuana smokers show dysregulated growth of epithelial cells in their lung tissue, which could lead to cancer;8 however, a recent case-controlled study found no positive associations between marijuana use and lung, upper respiratory, or upper digestive tract cancers.9 Thus, the link between marijuana smoking and these cancers remains unsubstantiated at this time.
Nonetheless, marijuana smokers can have many of the same respiratory problems as tobacco smokers, such as daily cough and phlegm production, more frequent acute chest illness, and a heightened risk of lung infections. A study of 450 individuals found that people who smoke marijuana frequently but do not smoke tobacco have more health problems and miss more days of work than nonsmokers.10 Many of the extra sick days among the marijuana smokers in the study were for respiratory illnesses.
Effects on Daily Life
Research clearly demonstrates that marijuana has the potential to cause problems in daily life or make a person’s existing problems worse. In one study, heavy marijuana abusers reported that the drug impaired several important measures of life achievement including physical and mental health, cognitive abilities, social life, and career status.11 Several studies associate workers’ marijuana smoking with increased absences, tardiness, accidents, workers’ compensation claims, and job turnover.
I just took a few minutes to read back over 'Kyle's' comments and, I have to admit, I haven't laughed that hard in a long, long time. What an idiot......
@Fred, a negligible amount. Where do u live man? Have you even been on the streets? People kill every damn day to get these drugs. Like i have said even legal ones. That includes booze and smokes. People will kill you for the last 5 dollars you have in your pocket. I just speak from what i have seen from my short time i have been here in this world.
CNN has Kyles IP address and are sending the cops to arrest him for threatening to kill people.
come on people dont be fool, this drug war is much bigger than those Afghan drug dealers. It is running by international MAFIA. The Afghans only do the dirty work.
@Bob – I work at a Needle Exchange and heroin users last waaaaaaayyy longer than 3 to 4 years. Heroin, on its own, is less harmful to the human body than alcohol. The behaviours that exist due to trying to find/afford the drug and the agents that the drug is 'cut' with are what's harmful.
@WhoSaidFredd– The things you mention, most of the crimes involving marijuana stem from the illegality of it, not from the drug itself. How many crimes are committed to get alcohol, or cigarettes? While there may be some, it's truly a negligible amount.
@Steve Cannon– Are people not harmed by alcohol, tobacco, even otc and prescription medicines? Those things you mention, crashing of their cars (while on drugs? that would still be illegal were it legalized), demented children (are you implying there's neglect or worse going on in these childrens lives? If so, why haven't you stepped in and called social sevices?), horrible behavior (plenty of laws already dealing with that, whether public intox, or disorderly conduct, etc), and I'm really not sure what "social trash" even is... They throwing facebook and myspace all over the place? Drunk driving IS a victimless crime, until an accident happens. Not real sure how you equate just the usage of drugs to the operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs (remember, alcohol IS a drug), but whatever you want... Also, if someone screws up their brains on the current drugs (ever read some of the side effects on prescription bottles, nasty stuff), or screws up their body on unhealthy food, we as a society have to deal with those individuals until they're dead too. What does that have to do with anything? I've met a LOT more messed up people in my years that were drug free than whack jobs that were on drugs.
@Kyle– You a "man" of your word or what? I did what you asked, I showed you a person who has never smoked marijuana but believes it should be legalized. Now it's your turn to man up and take everything you've said back. I think we both know you won't do that though, you've got a long ways to go before you "man up" for anything.
Damn Kyle. A real question im proud of you. You get 1000 points. But i do agree with not legalizing drugs.
I think the problem with you trying to paint yourself out of a corner now that you've been called out is that, in just a cursory glance at your rebuttals (if we can call them that) on this page, you have ignored when people have said they don't use. But that's not the issue. The issue is, you've successfully derailed any discourse regarding the legalization debate with your infantile and asinine antics. It's called ethos, Kyle. You have none, so I'm not sure why anyone wants to even begin to have a rational discussion with you that might involve something you disagree with. You've demonstrated time and time again to be an irrational rube. Just give it up. You got what you wanted; you trolled the board for hours. Don't expect people to play along now because you, again, got called out and backed off. Here endeth the lesson, son.
@Kyle – Because I don't care what someone else chooses to do with their body. If you want to smoke some weed, go for it.. if you want to shoot up go for it... Pick your thrill... I do not waste my time worrying about it because it happens all day, everyday, and will from here on. Just let natural selection take it's course.. Just wished your stupidity would take you out sooner.
@Steve Cannon I agree. I work with a lot of the people that you have mentioned. I live in a small county in north Texas that serves and sees a lot of people anywhere from Mexico to Oklahoma (a little more that 200/month). We do have to "deal" with these people once they have destroyed their brains and bodies.
same
Kyle – non user here who disagrees with you! You're a complete fool and time and time again you prove it.
100 points pete
Kyle, I'm a non-stoner. I disagree with you. Still waiting for your real name and location. You conveniently ignored that. Near as I can tell, you've been posting on CNN boards for over nine hours...that's...sad.
im sorry kyle i cant spend any more of my time on you cuz i have better things to do... there is a country that needs my protection and since i answered the call i will do it... too bad an old fat man like yourself cant go do something good for his country. go read a book.. it is sad that you say you are a grown ass man... i would give you sympathy if you were just a teenager because at least then you have a reason to be be an ignorant imbicile but you are just sad. get a life, learn something, anything... even if its the art of insults because then at least you wouldnt sound like such a dumb @$$ when you speak. and last question... did you mom do drugs before you were born because that would explain why you are so f***ed up now!
peace, love and happiness!!!
-50 kyle
@Bob I agree. I have seen way too many problems come from drug use both legal and illegal.
Lol Kyle – You're really just a little kid who got kicked on the playground all the time, aren't you? But your necrophiliac tendencies opens a whole new insight to your personality... How's my mom doing by the way?
10 points pete
Where do people come up with the idea that "all we have to do is legalize drugs then all will be OK". Take the money away from the cartels, gangs, etc. I live in Arizona where there are lots of drugs. I see many people who really get their drugs for free (money wise) . These people who get their drugs for free are really causing problems due to their horrible behavior, demented children, social trash and crashing of their cars. if you think drugs are a "victimless crime", then by that, drunk driving should be a "victimless crime" as well. My point is this. I see these drug people I have known for years and their children. If you think drugs are OK and victimless, then you really have your head in the sand. Remember this. If one screws up their brains on drugs, legal, free, so called harmless......we as a society have to deal with these individuals forever....till their dead. What is that worth? Put a price on that!
Seriously, this Kyle jackass is a troll. I've already seen him on another board...he's been posting the same lame comebacks all day. He's clearly an infantile intellect, his comebacks are trite and useless, and he has the rhetorical savvy of a first grader. As for the threats, Kyle, why not post your real name and location. I'll be willing to bet I'm not the only one who would take you up on it. You talk pretty tough for a message board...and before you try a lame comeback of "you first," remember that you opened your mouth (at length) first with the threats. So tell us who you are, tough guy. If you don't, you lose the remainder of your shred of credibility.
-2 kyle
@Kyle dear God man how old are you? You've got some serious anger issues.
Who said no one has died form weed? I beg to differ. The crimes(including deaths) that are commited to get illegal drugs(including Mary) and legal ones at that are still deaths because of the products. So canni might not directly kill someone but it sure supports the facts that someone will kill for it. So do we legalize it. Most of you say yes, I say no.
What are you good for kyle?
the idea of legalizing drugs is a good idea in a way but it will bring a crap load of new problems along with it. Heroin is not something that is petty like alcohol...this stuff will get you addicted fast and kill you in literally 3 to 4 years. Its unfortunate but legalizing heroin and other bad drugs is just not an option.
-1 kyle
Wow does anyone have a Xanax these posts are so cheery. Maybe some reefer for an old hippie.
Kyle's posts have been amusing, in a bathroom-grafitti sort of way. Does his mommy know he's on her computer?
We don't need to 'teach them' how to grow foodstuffs. If Afghans can't grow enough food to survive, maybe they won't. That wouldn't be any great loss. What has Afghanistan provided to the world in the last millenia? Great fighters? Fighters that can't be beaten? (Please review ancient, middle, and modern history, starting with Alexander the Great.)
Some societies, like some people, are simply dysfunctional. There, I said it. Not very PC. But face facts, the societies themselves are part and parcel of the same problem. Tribalism doesn't mesh well with the 21st century.
thank you rachael....he needs some female reinforcement i think!!! this is good for him now!!!!!
Smoke a beer?
point everyone except kyle
@Kylis – what does that even mean, tard
Kyle,
How 'bout we get togther sometime and smoke a beer....
well kyle if you can actually get your fat @$$ out of your computer chair to find any of the people on here so that you can possibly squish them with your fat@$$, let alone repeatedly lift your foot to stomp anybody then i will give you mad props!!! until then please shut up and remember that walking actually can help you lose some weight.
Ummm, don't you mean you "have the stones to say on the internet that you would stomp people"? Pretty sure that's what you meant, because that's all you've actually done here. TALKED about beating people up, anonymously, over the internet. You a bad boy Kyle, I am literally shaking in my virtual shoes.
For the record, the fact that your ignorant makes you ignorant. Has nothing to do with drug use. You've proved it time and again with your statements, you're an imbecile. Plain and simple. Don't cry though, you aren't a stoner. Imbecile, ignorant, juvenile, yes; stoner, nope.
@Kyle – if you can't stand the heat please remove your face from my crotch. TY...
notice he hasnt defended the fat fucked up thirty year old loser profile. i was right. im out. victory i say, victory
There's the problem... he doesn't know what his argument is either.
Wasn't opium use a problem in vietnam?
I would agree with you (as in validate your choice to not use) as a non-stoner Kyle; however, I have no idea what your argument is.
@Kyle- You made that TOO easy.
http://matt-rock.newsvine.com/_news/2010/04/12/4148295-a-case-for-the-legalization-of-marijuana
not surprising.. opium production in Afghanistan has sky rocketed since US occupation
Dude! American X is flying higher than a kite man!! Hey man, take a few doobies to get off whatever is making you want to write so much. I don't have the capacity to read all of that man, I got places to be, and people to see.
I say our troops should keep close watch on what the Afghan government chooses to do with this confiscated stash. What do you suppose the street value is for 4,600 pounds of opium? For a federal government that probably has next to nothing in their budget, something like this might be tempting to use for generating a little spending money.
@kyle – if you think education is expensive, try ignorance. I gather as much your a master of the latter.
your eating habits put stoners to shame, im sure
@Kyle – Nope, not all non-druggies agree with what you vomit out on a message board.
If illegal drugs become legal I'm quitting my job because it's going to become way too hard, and the social system is going to become overburdened. Plus other jobs will open up because the heroin addicts can't function at work.
kylw cant find anything else on the internet to copy past in here. lets give him a minute. or maybe the oven went off, hes face first in a dish of some grease filled garbage to only distance his way from the keyboard when he sits down. soon he'll have to lay down just to type. eat another doughnut kyle buddy
If it's legalized, now where's the fun in that ?
Legalize it all, Natural Selection will takes its course.
@rachel Where did you get your facts? I agree with the alcohol and tobacco related deaths, but from my experience when it comes to drug related deaths coroners reports the drug related death as anything other than "overdose." Normally it is something like cardiac arrest even if cocaine was the cause or respiratory failure even if opiates were involved. I am all for getting rid of legal opiates. Pain is a subjective experience that we cannot truly measure and by the time a physician realizes their patient is addicted, if they realize, then they end up like Michael Jacksons physician. In my field of work I see patients do a lot of "doctor shopping" to find more pain meds than prescribed. It is more often than not, I have found, that patients take their meds as prescribed. I personally, have never cared if a person became addicted just don't clog up the ER's, cause traffic accidents, or complain about how horrible your life is because you can't get off the stuff. If you want to legalize drugs then you can deal with the consequences of your drug use on your own. Unfortunately that does not happen, and there are always casualties even when "legal" prescriptions drug use happens.
of course he wants the attention, its the only place he can get it, on the internet
Kyle you make Americans look ignorant. You are acting like a fool. I wonder why you don't care? Is it because you crave the attention this brings you? Are you addicted to stupidity? Like so many Americans?
didn't napalm turn out to be one big cancer soup?
The whole world is corrupt. The end is near. Repent! Repent I say!
Even CNN is corrupt. Sell-outs.
@kapechi: couldnt agree more. at present im stationed in japan but i have family members in the middle east and i would much rather them be staying home and keeping our country safe than guarding a poppy field where they could possibly be shot up or whatnot.
kyle is a fat overweight probably mid 30s ass face looking dude who cant even get a PROSTITUTE so he gets off on pissing you people off....unfortunately he wins this argument.....but he horribly fails at this game they call life. so let it go. he can move onto the next site. like the little bitch that he is.good day all
i never said that i support it but just because tobacco and alcohol and caffeine are legal that doesnt mean that i have to use those substances so whats making you have to use weed if it is legalized? its a matter of choice and i think that americans should have the choice. are you just anti-choice or just an idiot?
NAPALM worked in Viet Nam, why not just Napalm the poppy fields instead of "guarding" them with American Troops? I'm sure our men and women would rather be home guarding their families than over there wasting their time guarding opium.
You can't even keep your argument straight. You keep with the name calling, it's helping your case tremendously!
on the contrary kyle in 2008 alone there were 11,773 dealths caused by drunk driving equalling about 1 person every 45 minutes and thats just in the US but there were only 213 dealths that were drug related; 127 due to heroin, 87 due to methamphetamine, 32 due to cocaine, and in 35 cases it was a combination of all of them. and tobacco is the single most cause of dealth in the world. so tell me how alcohol and tobacco are less harmful than illegal drugs?
Caffeine, Alcohol, tobacco and OTC's are safer than marijuana? You really are clueless aren't you? Ever hear of cirrhosis of the liver, lung cancer, emphysema, heart disease, not to mention any number of the fine side effects of current medications? Yea, marijuana has NONE of that. Do a little research kid. You might be surprised at what you learn.
Never the less, ALL of those mentioned above are drugs. So if you use them, you too are a drug user.
While you may be grown (which I seriously doubt), you are no where close to being a man.
Heroin is legal in the United States. It's called oxycodone/oxycontin. Your body directly turns the oxycodone into morphine at the same rate the body turns heroin into morphine and is just as addictive....why is oxycodone legal, and heroin illegal? because the best heroin doesn't come from the united states....
we're obviously NOT concerned with the effects the drugs have on people, we're considering only how much money we can make off of the process. legalize it all, or criminalize it all. the message we send to our children is too confusing, it's no wonder they come to recognize the hypocrisy and break the law to get illegal drugs. Even worse, when we send them to doctors who prescribe them medications, approved by our government, which are no different than this opium or heroin coming out of afghanistan.
Tax the drugs. Pay for schools. Grow up America (and kyle)
I remember studying about Freud using cocaine to treat opiate addiction. He learned that his patients just traded one addictive substance for another. Since marijuana's effects are more "subtle" on the body and mind I wonder what research will come out of it's legalization. I know that we have a few published articles by some pro-cannabis advocates for pain management. I wonder what negative effects there will be besides increased risk of cancer, short-term memory loss (damage to hippocampus), and cannabanoid-induced psychosis?