Afghanistan refuses to spray heroin poppies

Afghanistan’s heroin-producing poppies will not be sprayed with herbicide this year despite a record crop in 2006 and US pressure for President Hamid Karzai to allow the drug-fighting tactic.

Thu, 25 Jan, 2007 - 08:19

Afghanistan’s heroin-producing poppies will not be sprayed with herbicide this year despite a record crop in 2006 and US pressure for President Hamid Karzai to allow the drug-fighting tactic.

Karzai’s Cabinet decided to hold off on using chemicals for now, according to Said Mohammad Azam, spokesman for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Counter Narcotics.