Yeah, I mean I don't know enough about it to have a strong opinion either way and it seems farfetched that that would be the basis for the entire war. I wouldn't be surprised if someone told me it was a factor, or at least a lucrative byproduct, for someone on the US side, mind you.
it's actually where the literature on the afghanistan opium (and now a lot of meth, surprisingly) stuff ends, which is something I hadn't thought of before. there's a few people who dig very deep into what's gone on with opium production and how to stop it. the biggest name is probably David Mansfield, who I really rate. they tend though to talk about what's going on within the borders of afghanistan and not talk at all about what the networks of drug production and movement outside of afghanistan look like.
obviously some people in the US are making a load of money off of heroin and so on, but i doubt they have anything to do with the state. although i know other people think that the US state is involved in drug distribution in some way or another.
thanks for sharing that link. it's a great article that from what i remember, a really amazing entry point for the 'oh.....ok so this is a more complicated war that i expected' realization.