Rise in heroin usage among American troops in Afghanistan
34 replies, posted
[QUOTE](CNN) -- [B]Eight American soldiers died of overdoses[/B] involving heroin, morphine or other opiates during deployments in Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011, according to U.S. Army investigative reports.
The overdoses were revealed in documents detailing how the Army investigated a total of 56 soldiers, including the eight who fell victim to overdoses, on suspicion of possessing, using or distributing heroin and other opiates.
[B]At the same time, heroin use apparently is on the rise in the Army overall, as military statistics show that the number of soldiers testing positive for heroin has grown from 10 instances in fiscal year 2002 to 116 in fiscal year 2010.[/B]
Army officials didn't respond to repeated requests for comment on Saturday. But records from the service's Criminal Investigation Command, obtained by the conservative legal group Judicial Watch, provided glimpses into how soldiers bought drugs from Afghan juveniles, an Afghan interpreter and in one case, an employee of a Defense Department contractor, who was eventually fired.
The drug use is occurring in a country that is estimated to supply more than 90% of the world's opium, and the Taliban insurgency is believed to be stockpiling the drug to finance their activities, according to a 2009 U.N. study. While the records show some soldiers using heroin, much of the opiate abuse by U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan involves prescription drugs such Percocet, the Army documents show.
Judicial Watch obtained the documents under the Freedom of Information of Act and provided them to CNN. Spokesman Col. Gary Kolb of the International Security Assistance Force, the NATO-led command in Afghanistan, verified the documents to CNN on Saturday.
One fatal overdose occurred in June 2010 at Forward Operating Base Blessing, after a soldier asked another soldier to buy black tar opium from a local Afghan outside the base's entry control point. The first soldier died after consuming the opium like chewing tobacco and smoking pieces of it in a cigarette, the documents show.
The reports even show soldier lingo for the drug -- calling it "Afghani dip" in one case where three soldiers were accused of using the opiate, the Army investigative reports show.
The United States has 89,000 troops in Afghanistan. The U.S. death toll since the September 11, 2001, attacks that triggered the war has risen to more than 1,850, including 82 this year, according to the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Central Command.
Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, said his group was interested in soldiers' drug use partly because the risk was present during the Vietnam War.
"You never want to see news of soldiers dying of drug use in Afghanistan," Fitton said. "Our concern is, will the military treat this as the problem that it is, and are the families of the soldiers aware of the added risk in this drug-infested country?
"There is a dotted line between the uses. Prescription abuse can easily veer into heroin drug use," Fitton added. "Afghanistan is the capital of this opiate production and the temptation is great there and the opportunity for drug use all the more."
The group is concerned that "there hasn't been enough public discussion, and we would encourage the leadership to discuss or talk about this issue more openly," Fitton said.
In one case, a soldier bought heroin and the anti-anxiety drug Xanax from five "local national juveniles at multiple locations on Camp Phoenix, Afghanistan, and consumed them," one report states. Soldiers also distributed heroin, Percocet and other drugs among themselves, according to the reports.
Another soldier fatally overdosed in December 2010 after taking several drugs, including morphine and codeine, though the drugs were not prescribed for him, the Army documents show.
One female soldier broke into the Brigade Medical Supply Office at Forward Operating Base Shank and stole expired prescription narcotics including morphine, Percocet, Valium, fentanyl and lorazepam, the documents show.
The investigative reports show soldiers using other drugs, including steroids and marijuana, and even hashish that was sold to U.S. servicemen by the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police personnel, the reports state.[/QUOTE]
Source: [url]http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/21/us/afghanistan-soldier-drug-overdoses/index.html?hpt=hp_t1[/url]
116 still seems quite low.
[QUOTE=Elecbullet;35668360]116 still seems quite low.[/QUOTE]
Considering that they're operating in an active theatre of war, it should be zero.
The weird thing about Al Qaeda is, that their income comes mainly from Poppy distribution.
The thing is though, using drugs is against the koran.
Huh
Well don't people often resort to drugs in extreme situations?
Also I personally would try my best to stay extremely fucked up if I had to live in a desert.
that isn't surprising, isn't Afghanistan loaded with the stuff?
[QUOTE=J Paul;35668516]Well don't people often resort to drugs in extreme situations?
Also I personally would try my best to stay extremely fucked up if I had to live in a desert.[/QUOTE]
Afghanistan is not a desert. It is a very mountainous region. Simply having an arid climate does not mean it's a desert.
Also, but trying your best "to stay extremely fucked up" would put all of your comrades at risk. What if there's a Taliban assault on you and your fellow soldiers while you're high?
[editline]21st April 2012[/editline]
[QUOTE=Vasili;35668518]that isn't surprising, isn't Afghanistan loaded with the stuff?[/QUOTE]
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Afghanistan_map_-_security_by_district_and_opium_poppy_cultivation_by_province_2007_-_2008.gif[/img]
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;35668544]Afghanistan is not a desert. It is a very mountainous region. Simply having an arid climate does not mean it's a desert.
Also, but trying your best "to stay extremely fucked up" would put all of your comrades at risk. What if there's a Taliban assault on you and your fellow soldiers while you're high?
[/QUOTE]
Well my lack of a serious approach I figured would make it obvious that I'd never be in a military situation. I guess I meant if I had to live there on a permanent residential basis.
[QUOTE=J Paul;35668580]Well my lack of a serious approach I figured would make it obvious that I'd never be in a military situation. I guess I meant if I had to live there on a permanent residential basis.[/QUOTE]
I thought you were speaking in the context of the soldiers there, my apology
Well the 'extreme situations' bit does refer to the soldiers in a way, but I didn't mean that part of my post to excuse their actions. Lots of people in extreme situations try to escape any way they can, so I can see how it can happen. Also I see plenty of opioid usage widespread throughout most of American society, probably most of it being synthetics, the abuse of legal pharmaceuticals, so I can also see how heroin, being so available everywhere and especially there specifically, could easily become the prime candidate for abuse.
I mean it's just like how you can go to a lot of places in South America and notice that everyone's constantly chewing coca leaves, you might also pick it up along the way under certain circumstances. I'm not saying it's right or good, but it happens.
I'm curious if there soldiers were using the stuff before their military service or once they were on duty.
[QUOTE=DesumThePanda;35669104]I'm curious if there soldiers were using the stuff before their military service or once they were on duty.[/QUOTE]
If they were they never would have made it into basic training.
[QUOTE=Banned?;35669111]If they were they never would have made it into basic training.[/QUOTE]
It could be possible that they had broken a previous addiction but the stress of military service triggered it again.
[QUOTE=Banned?;35669111]If they were they never would have made it into basic training.[/QUOTE]
I make no claims of being knowledgeable of the subject, but I believe there been studies that show there is a heavy gang presence in the military and that not all of them become gang members while in service, some of them join the armed services while already a practicing member.
And drug use or at the very least contact and familiarity with drugs is almost guaranteed in a gang environment.
[QUOTE=Banned?;35669111]If they were they never would have made it into basic training.[/QUOTE]
Well that depends on a lot of factors. Because even though we're supposed to be filtering who makes it into the military according to rather high standards, we really don't hold ourselves very strongly to these standards anymore.
It also depends largely on what branch you go into; some are better than others.
These eight guys who died were in the army, and the army is pretty infamous now for its drug and gang-related issues.
[url]http://www.military.com/news/article/2011/fbi-says-gangs-infiltrating-the-us-military.html[/url]
The Marine Corps is also rather notorious these days for letting anybody and everybody in and doing whatever they can to attract newbies. It all started after we invaded Afghanistan and Iraq, and they started turning up short on recruits. They basically turned it into, to quote the UCSF (which conducted a study in 2008 on the matter), "an orgy palace of stoned, drunk, horny teenagers".
[url]http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2009/01/us_marines_orgy_palace_of_ston.php[/url]
There was this kid who, back in 2005, was a journalist for his high school paper in Colorado and helped to bust several recruiters in his area. They were helping kids cheat drug tests and falsify their academic credentials so they'd qualify to join.
It's pretty disgusting what the armed forces have become in modern years.
i'm not surprised tbh, from what i've heard the level of psychiatric care out there and the general "fuck-all-that" social mentality towards mental illness would probably force any soldier onto some sort of crutch to deal with what he's seen.
[QUOTE=ewitwins;35668409]Considering that they're operating in an active theatre of war, it should be zero.[/QUOTE]
pfffft as if that's ever going to happen.
Soldiers have always gotten hammered/stoned/high/whatever throughout every war ever.
What did you expect, a massive amount of college kids with no other way to spend their money in a land where drugs are easily available.
american soldiers are attracted to whatever drug is readily available in the country they're occupying. In veitnam and afghanistan, it's heroin.
Afghanistan would be the best place to do heroin.
[QUOTE=Falchion;35669697]a massive amount of college kids[/QUOTE]
Highschool graduates mostly, not college kids. If they are then they fucked up.
[QUOTE=TamTamJam;35669849]american soldiers are attracted to whatever drug is readily available in the country they're occupying. In veitnam and afghanistan, it's heroin.[/QUOTE]
You make it sound like we all want to do drugs while we're over there. :P
I'm not going to lie though, it does happen and it is a problem.. I've seen a LOT of people get busted for drugs(the majority of them being Infantry guys)
[QUOTE=-Rusty-;35670254]Highschool graduates mostly, not college kids. If they are then they fucked up.
You make it sound like we all want to do drugs while we're over there. :P
I'm not going to lie though, it does happen and it is a problem.. I've seen a LOT of people get busted for drugs(the majority of them being Infantry guys)[/QUOTE]
I've always been curious, how often are there suprise drug tests in the army?
[QUOTE=Stormcharger;35670261]I've always been curious, how often are there suprise drug tests in the army?[/QUOTE]
Depends... it's random for a reason. Usually once a month ranging from a few select individuals, one company, or the entire unit.
But that was just for my unit, it really depends on where you're stationed not every duty station handles things exactly the same way.
I'm actually surprised by the high numbers. There's going to be a major crackdown on it now though since it received publicity. Drug use in the military is rare and punishment is severe also for it.
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;35668544]
[IMG]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Afghanistan_map_-_security_by_district_and_opium_poppy_cultivation_by_province_2007_-_2008.gif[/IMG][/QUOTE]
funny how a couple of guys with soviet era weapons could do better at eradicating opium production than the current government backed by 82,000 US troops
[quote]During the Taliban rule, Afghanistan saw a bumper opium crop of 4,500 metric tons in 1999,. However, in July 2000, Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar, collaborating with the United Nations to eradicate heroin production in Afghanistan, declared that growing poppies was un-Islamic, resulting in one of the world's most successful anti-drug campaigns. [B]As a result of this ban, opium poppy cultivation was reduced by 91%[/B] from the previous year's estimate of 82,172 hectares. The ban was so effective that Helmand Province, which had accounted for more than half of this area, recorded no poppy cultivation during the 2001 season. [B]The Bush administration paid a 43 million dollar 'eradication' reward payment to the Taliban in 2001.[/B][/quote]
also lol @ reward the 43mill reward.
shortly after, bombs were rewarded.
[QUOTE=Drsalvador;35669301]i'm not surprised tbh, from what i've heard the level of psychiatric care out there and the general "fuck-all-that" social mentality towards mental illness would probably force any soldier onto some sort of crutch to deal with what he's seen.[/QUOTE]
Ugh why do people think we still live in the 1970's. The military doesn't say "fuck that" to mental illness anymore. I work at a clinic with 10 licensed providers, 3 psychiatrists and 7 psychologists (3 psych techs aswell). Stop insulting my job(psych tech) and their degrees by saying that.
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;35668544]Afghanistan is not a desert. It is a very mountainous region. Simply having an arid climate does not mean it's a desert.
Also, but trying your best "to stay extremely fucked up" would put all of your comrades at risk. What if there's a Taliban assault on you and your fellow soldiers while you're high?
[editline]21st April 2012[/editline]
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Afghanistan_map_-_security_by_district_and_opium_poppy_cultivation_by_province_2007_-_2008.gif[/img][/QUOTE]
Pretty sure the exact definition of desert is an extremely arid climate.
It's like goddamn Vietnam all over again.
[QUOTE=M.Ciaster;35672119]It's like goddamn Vietnam all over again.[/QUOTE]
I'm writing a paper comparing this war to Vietnam, and I know have another point to add to the paper.
I don't know why anyone would take up heroin seeing as it's easy to get fucked up or even die from it.
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.