U.S. and Euro junkies finance Al Qaeda.

Some huge amount, over 90% of the world's opium supply is said to be grown in Afghanistan. Proceeds from those opium sales are said to be funneled to Al Qaeda. At one time the U.S. provided funds to Afghani farmers so they wouldn't grow opium poppies. Supposedly the growers strongly diminished Al Qaeda support during that period. When U.S. support ended, farmers' payments to Al Qaed resumed.

It's seemed to me that this was at best a short-term strategic solution, and that the U.S. would have to stop the payments (which we did), at which time the poppy growing would resume in full force (it did). Al Qaeda would resume receiving money from the growers (it apparently has).

I was intrigued by a proposed new strategy for removing Al Qaeda's Heroin funding - U.S. should buy 100% of Afghani opium production:

From the Daily Dish 12/12:
"Opiate painkilling drugs are in critically short supply across the developing world. So why doesn't the USA just buy the Afghan poppy harvest, process it into painkilling meds, and distribute them to poor countries?
1. This would cut off the Taliban's chief source of funding.
2. It would put the average Afghan farmer on the side of the US-supported government instead of the Taliban.
3. It would play to our strength -- money. The Taliban has more local knowledge, more time, more patience, more willingess to shed innocent blood. But we have more money. They might be able to outfight us, out-corrupt us, or out-terrorize us, but they can't outbid us.
4. It would put the US on record as alleviating suffering all over the world.
5. By fighting the Taliban with dollars instead of (as many) soldiers, we'd suffer a lot fewer killed and maimed Americans.
6. It might even be cheaper. Soldiers, tanks, planes, humvees, night vision goggles, bullets, Predator drones, etc. are really, really, expensive."

This might be a relatively inexpensive way for the U.S. foreign policy to start moving in a new non-military direction - helping the world's poor receive pain meds they currently don't have.
Drugs Banned, Many of World’s Poor Suffer in Pain (Same article link as quoted above):

Excerpt:

"At pain conferences, doctors from Africa describe patients whose pain is so bad that they have chosen other remedies: hanging themselves or throwing themselves in front of trucks."

Of course there are other problems to this type of solution: 1) antiquated western opinions about the "Drug War" on heroin. 2) African nations are notoriusly corrupt - how much of the pain meds would actually get to sufferers, and how much would be sold for exorbitant prices by African despots?

Still, the idea has merit. Potential ending of the horrendous U.S. "War On Drugs" might be a side-effect. Also, it would help re-frame U.S. as having a compassionate foreign policy, instead of being seen as we currently are - hegemonic military aggressor.