Perhaps we haven’t shut down the poppy trade because that is one of the only forms of income for “friendly” Afghans. This is a country with no industry and no real products. If we burned all the poppies, ALL the Afghans would turn against us.
And the 800 Pound Gorilla of the Heroin Trade.
The avid and fervent consumer in the West!
You’ve hit it. Figs ($5 an acre profit) or Opium ($500 an acre profit), figuratively.
What would any sane farmer grow?