-Caveat Lector- from - http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/020227/d7hu7fqo0_2.html
Wednesday February 27, 1:08 am Eastern Time Associated Press Myanmar government rejects U.S. drug statement as `self-defeating' YANGON, Myanmar (AP) -- Myanmar's government has rejected as "self-defeating" a U.S. report on the country's drug control efforts, saying America with its large number of addicts who fuel the demand is equally to blame for the problem. In a report to the Congress on Saturday, U.S. President George W. Bush made Myanmar ineligible for all assistance except humanitarian aid, saying it had failed to meet international drug control standards last year. Afghanistan and Haiti also were named but Bush waived the aid ban on them in national interest. A Myanmar government statement issued Tuesday called Bush's decision "very alarmingly controversial in nature and self-defeating in practice." "It seems to be equivocally unclear to all of us why all the targeted countries alone are held to be responsible to reduce their domestic demand when the nation itself that is targeting others has categorically the biggest demand in the world for all kinds of narcotic drugs," the statement said. "Myanmar together with many other countries has been profoundly confused with the U.S. policy on drugs," it said. According to U.S. figures, about 6.3 percent of Americans, or about 14 million people, were frequent drug users in 2000, compared to 25 million Americans in 1979. Americans spend about dlrs 64 billion annually buying illicit drugs, of which about dlrs 35 billion is spent on cocaine, dlrs 10.5 billion on marijuana and about dlrs 10 billion heroin. Heroin is derived from opium, and according to the U.S. presidential memorandum, Myanmar has returned to its position as the world's largest producer of illicit opium. aaw/vj <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
