COLOMBIA: Heroin

Congressional hearings are always interesting, but few have been as tense as one of the House Government Reform Committee, chaired by Rep. Benjamin Gilman on Colombian Drug Trafficking. The government representative, lined up behind the witnessess' table, included Anne Peterson, Ambassador to Colombia, a youngish woman who seemed very unhappy. This is understandable. Who would want to be Ambassador to Colombia? Probably a woman is less likely to be shot at than a man. The tension was due to the fact that the main concern was not coca or cocaine but heroin, which is made from opium, i.e.poppies. It was originally developed for medical purposes, and was given the name "heroin" because ironically heroic results were expected from it. Today it is seldom used for medical purposes, but it has become a leading cause of drug addiction. Representative Gilman became visibly impatient with the information given by the government officials, who quite unusually went ito a long huddle to get their act together. There was general concern at the increase in heroin consumption in this country. There was a long discussion of spraying Colombian fields. One result of this is that production has now moved to Mexico.and to a lesser degree to Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. It is odd that the subject is being handled by the House Government Reform Committee.

Ronald Hilton - 1/2/03