Cash strapped N. Korea boosts heroin production

[Bricks & Stacks]

North Korea is drastically increasing heroin production to earn hard currency, Fox News reported on Tuesday. Analysis of satellite images of the Yodok political prison camp in South Hamgyong Province provided by Amnesty International on May 3 suggests that poppy fields on land around the camp grew by some 130,000 sq. m or about 15-fold since 2001.

"These are poppy fields and have been since we first looked at the camp in 2001," one expert told the tabloid channel. The North's total exports of heroin are estimated at around US$1 billion annually, Fox News added.

It quoted Chuck Downs of activist group Committee for Human Rights in North Korea as saying that the military, which runs the camps and poppy fields, does not "allow food production by prisoners because they would steal it. [It] would rather grow drugs."

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Read More: http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/05/12/2011051200506.html

 

[Crankinit]

It quoted Chuck Downs of activist group Committee for Human Rights in North Korea as saying that the military, which runs the camps and poppy fields, does not "allow food production by prisoners because they would steal it. [It] would rather grow drugs."

I would have thought drugs are just as likely to be stolen, if not more so.

 

[slimvictor]

^ arguably, the answer is no.
Some people (most "experts") claim that, in a situation of deprivation, given a competition between food and anything else, food will win, with sleep and water and sex above drugs.

I personally find this somewhat suspect due to my firsthand knowledge of people using drugs despite not having enough food or sleep (and seeing people use drugs when the drugs prevent them from having sex).
But, then again, I have never been in a situation quite like North Korea, where the population is chronically underfed, and the population of prisoners must be severely calorie-deprived, I would guess.

 

[slimvictor]

Also interesting is the fact that the drug war is again, in this case, supporting terrorism / despotic regimes.
Legalizing drugs would not only take this power away from terrorists and the N. Korean government, but it would save thousands of lives by assuring the quality of the product.

 

[phr]

Interesting. I'm not sure exactly how much of it I believe, at least until there's something from the DEA or UNODC.

Where's the heroin going? It must be an export...

 

[RedRum OG]

YAYYYYY

bet that shit is produced for super duper cheap too, slave labor FTW!!! and since everything bout that country is strict as hell, bet they produce top notch shit

more cheap fire dope for me

 

[dankstersauce]

I wonder how this will play into the international drug market? Probably smuggled into SE Asia then reaches the established connects and off to Australia or the US .

I bet the first organized crime group to make a solid connection with N. Korea is going to make an insane amount of the cash. Might as way get them to grow cocoa too.

 

['medicine cabinet']

A few years ago the aussies busted a N korean cargo ship off the shore that got stuck, turned out to be loaded with Nkorean made heroin. Makes sense if they are cash strapped as the article says, lots of money in heroin.look at the afghans

 

[Ph0r.W3-R-m4ny]

^ arguably, the answer is no.
Some people (most "experts") claim that, in a situation of deprivation, given a competition between food and anything else, food will win, with sleep and water and sex above drugs.

I personally find this somewhat suspect due to my firsthand knowledge of people using drugs despite not having enough food or sleep (and seeing people use drugs when the drugs prevent them from having sex).
But, then again, I have never been in a situation quite like North Korea, where the population is chronically underfed, and the population of prisoners must be severely calorie-deprived, I would guess.

Don't forget the rat studies that have been done granting rats access to IV cocaine or food. All the rats end up dead in a few days.

Heroin rats on the other hand, fair MUCH better. They live longer lives, continue to feed and bath themselves (which coke rats stop)

buut ya.kinda off topic =p

North Korea is fucked up.. Just watched team America last night hehe

 

[slimvictor]

^ I do remember those rat studies...
And I agree with what they suggest about humans.

I guess I was thinking of Maslow's hierarchy of needs:

 

[Ph0r.W3-R-m4ny]

^yeah that works, the course I just took on Drug Addiction tried to say essentially that 'addiction' occurs when the need to acquire the substance becomes greater than those natural needs and urges above. As if we only have so much attention to spread around or something. Some drugs steal that attention a lot faster and efficiently than others.