Poppies for Medicine in Afghanistan: Lessons from India and Turkey

Article


Windle, J. 2011. Poppies for Medicine in Afghanistan: Lessons from India and Turkey. Journal of Asian and African Studies. 46 (6), pp. 663-677.
AuthorsWindle, J.
Abstract

This study examines India and Turkey as case studies relevant to the Senlis Council’s ‘poppies for medicine’ proposal. The proposal is that Afghan farmers are licensed to produce opium for medical and scientific purposes. Here it is posited that the Senlis proposal neglects at least three key lessons from the Turkish and Indian experiences. First, not enough weight has been given to diversion from licit markets, as experienced in India. Second, both India and Turkey had significantly more efficient state institutions with authority over the licensed growing areas. Third, the proposal appears to overlook the fact that Turkey’s successful transition was largely due to the use of the poppy straw method of opium production. It is concluded that, while innovative and creative policy proposals such as that of the Senlis proposal are required if Afghanistan is to move beyond its present problems, ‘poppies for medicine’ does not withstand evidence-based scrutiny.

KeywordsOpium; Diversion; Poppies for medicine; Senlis Council; Afghanistan; Turkey; India
JournalJournal of Asian and African Studies
Journal citation46 (6), pp. 663-677
Year2011
PublisherSAGE
Accepted author manuscript
License
CC BY-ND
Web address (URL)http://jas.sagepub.com/content/46/6/663.short
Publication dates
Print2011
Publication process dates
Deposited27 Jan 2014
Copyright informationOnce the article has been accepted for publication, you may post the accepted version (version 2) of the article on your own personal website, your department’s website or the repository of your institution without any restrictions. You may not post the accepted version (version 2) of the article in any repository other than those listed above (i.e. you may not deposit in the repository of another institution or a subject repository) until 12 months after first publication of the article in the journal. http://www.sagepub.com/publishing-oa.sp
Permalink -

https://repository.uel.ac.uk/item/86198

Download files


Accepted author manuscript
  • 101
    total views
  • 274
    total downloads
  • 0
    views this month
  • 0
    downloads this month

Export as

Related outputs

Security trumps drug control: How securitization explains drug policy paradoxes in Thailand and Vietnam
Windle, J. 2016. Security trumps drug control: How securitization explains drug policy paradoxes in Thailand and Vietnam. Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy. 23 (4), pp. 344-354. https://doi.org/10.3109/09687637.2016.1140720
Tuckers firm: a case study of British organised crime
Windle, J. 2013. Tuckers firm: a case study of British organised crime. Trends in Organized Crime. 16 (4), pp. 382-396.
How the East Influenced Drug Prohibition
Windle, J. 2013. How the East Influenced Drug Prohibition. The International History Review. 35 (5), pp. 1185-1199.
A Slow March from Social Evil to Harm Reduction: Drugs and Drug Policy in Vietnam
Windle, J. 2015. A Slow March from Social Evil to Harm Reduction: Drugs and Drug Policy in Vietnam. Journal of Drug Policy Analysis. 2015. https://doi.org/10.1515/jdpa-2015-0011
Preventing the diversion of Turkish opium
Windle, J. 2016. Preventing the diversion of Turkish opium. Security Journal. 29 (2), pp. 213-227. https://doi.org/10.1057/sj.2013.8
‘It’s like working away for two weeks’: The harms associated with young drug dealers commuting from a saturated London drug market
Windle, J. and Briggs, Daniel 2015. ‘It’s like working away for two weeks’: The harms associated with young drug dealers commuting from a saturated London drug market. Crime Prevention and Community Safety. 17 (2), pp. 105-119.
Popping the Balloon Effect: Assessing Drug Law Enforcement in Terms of Displacement, Diffusion, and the Containment Hypothesis
Windle, J. and Farrell, Graham 2012. Popping the Balloon Effect: Assessing Drug Law Enforcement in Terms of Displacement, Diffusion, and the Containment Hypothesis. Substance Use & Misuse. 47 (8-9), pp. 868-876.
The suppression of illicit opium production in Viet Nam: an introductory narrative
Windle, J. 2012. The suppression of illicit opium production in Viet Nam: an introductory narrative. Crime, Law and Social Change. 57 (4), pp. 425-439.
Harms caused by China's 1906–17 opium suppression intervention
Windle, J. 2013. Harms caused by China's 1906–17 opium suppression intervention. International Journal of Drug Policy. 24 (5), pp. 498-505.
A very gradual suppression: A history of Turkish opium controls, 1933-1974
Windle, J. 2014. A very gradual suppression: A history of Turkish opium controls, 1933-1974. European Journal of Criminology. 11 (2), pp. 195-212.
Going solo: the social organisation of drug dealing within a London street gang
Windle, J. and Briggs, Daniel 2015. Going solo: the social organisation of drug dealing within a London street gang. Journal of Youth Studies. 18 (9), pp. 1170-1185.
Insights for Contemporary Drug Policy: A Historical Account of Opium Control in India and Pakistan
Windle, J. 2012. Insights for Contemporary Drug Policy: A Historical Account of Opium Control in India and Pakistan. Asian Journal of Criminology. 7 (1), pp. 55-74.
Afghanistan, Narcotics and the International Criminal Court: From Port of Spain to Kabul, via Rome.
Windle, J. 2012. Afghanistan, Narcotics and the International Criminal Court: From Port of Spain to Kabul, via Rome. European Journal of Crime, Criminal Law and Criminal Justice. 20 (3), pp. 297-314.
Ominous Parallels and Optimistic Differences: Opium in China and Afghanistan
Windle, J. 2011. Ominous Parallels and Optimistic Differences: Opium in China and Afghanistan. Law, Crime and History. 1 (2), pp. 141-164.