Why don't the allies simply Napalm the Afghan Poppy fields?

Question

With the rise in opium that is coming from Afghanistan, would it not be simpler just to Naplm the poppy fields?

With the rise in heroin that is coming from Afghanistan would not be simpler just to napalm the poppy fields?

Answer 1

I can think of just a few DAMN good reasons:

a) The use of napalm on civilians is actually illegal...just a little something called the Geneva Convention...
b) Some of the poppy goes to make morphine (just imagine breaking your leg and not having any painkillers...OWWWW)
c) Farmers and their families would starve as for many, poppy is the only source of income
d) Wouldn't matter in the long run, they'd just plant again next year, somewhere else...look at Colombia and the cocaine...
AND
other crops pay a pittance when compared to the amount farmers get for opium, for wheat its something like 50 times less than they would get for opium

Yeah, so the only things you can do are to stop the flow of heroin, pay farmers more for the other crops they can grow, shut down the drugs cartels or find some way of making heroin addiction nonexistant overnight...

Answer 2

It would be better for the government to buy it up and resell to the pharmaceutical companies for the production of Morphine. The loss of income from poppies only drives the farmers into the hands of Al Queada. They will blow themselves up in exchange for guarantees of support to their families. The key to winning a war against an insurgency using terrorist tactics is to enlist the support of the rural working class. To napalm the fields would play into the desires of Osama bin Laden

Answer 3

The allies as you call them are trying to persuade the farmers to switch to other crops. Burning their fields would just alienate them.

The country is just another lost cause, in a year or two, the allies will pull out and just leave them to it.

Answer 4

There are too many people who depend on drug money for it to be destroyed. If there were no drugs there would be little need for law enforcement and prison guards. Then you would have people in law enforcement begging for welfare or wearing signs that say will work for food. They do not want the drug problem to go away.

Answer 5

keeps the locals happy,no poppy means lots of stressed out locals.no money, drugs etc

Answer 6

Then Mr bush and Ramsey Blair whould have less to send our young lads out to fight for. So less of them will get blasted to bits and that would spoil their kicks and pathetic ego's.

Answer 7

it is not our country
Napalm Orange in Viet Nam did a lot of damage
why Americans do not stop their drug habits
I have seen Afghans say they grow it because Americans use it
stop the American usage

Answer 8

What a bloody good idea..well said..in fact lets just pull our troops out and nuke the lot of them..no more bloody Taliban then eh.

Answer 9

That would be too easy,and any way I thought Napalm was ILLEGAL now, it would not be politically correct

Answer 10

I would imagine some of it is legitimately grown for pharmaceutical H.