Taliban getting funds from. . . illegal opium

From many perspectives, the news is that illegal opium cultivation and heroin refining is financing the Taliban resurgence in Afghanistan. U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld adds his weighty voice to this conclusion.

So. . . do we do something different, or do the same old thing but expect a different outcome?

Increase opiate treatment and get a marginal reduction in demand. What else?

Does there ever come a time when analysts look at a major problem -- the likelihood that the Taliban, who were the allies of Osama Bin Laden in the 9/11 horrors, will regain power -- and conclude that a dramatically different approach might be called for?

Tags: drug policy, Afghanistan, Taliban, Rumsfeld, justiceanddrugs, Sterling on Justice and Drugs