Pubdate: Thu, 07 Dec 2006
Source: Boulder Weekly (CO)
Copyright: 2006 Boulder Weekly
Contact:  http://www.boulderweekly.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/57
Cited: Drug Policy Alliance http://www.drugpolicy.org
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/mycoherbicides
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?208 (Environmental Issues)

A PLAGUE ON BOTH YOUR HOUSES

This week, our government will decide whether or not they want to 
poison foreign countries. Congressman Mark Souder, R-Ind., Sen. Orrin 
Hatch, R-Utah, and Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., are proposing a bill to 
the House and Senate that, if passed, will revive research on a fungi 
called mycoherbicides, which would be used to kill illicit drug crops 
in other countries.

Mycoherbicides have been studied exhaustively over the past 30 years 
and research has shown that they are not a viable option for 
controlling opium, coca or other drug plants in countries like 
Columbia and Afghanistan. The fungi do kill drug plants, but they 
also wipe out tomato plants and bean plants and strawberry plants and 
pretty much anything else that has leaves and stems. Furthermore, 
after these little bastards get entrenched, they contaminate the soil 
and leave the ground barren for years. Some governments are even 
storing up mycoherbicides as a chemical weapon.

The Drug Policy Alliance has already made numerous statements against 
this drug control option; however, the new bill before Congress would 
revive the research and open up political conversation on this topic. 
This is basically a proposal to initiate a program of global 
biological warfare. Famine, starvation and war would inevitably follow.

If Congress wants to pursue these type of extreme tactics further, 
they might want to consider a few other options: 1) A plague of 
locusts would certainly send a strong message; 2) Turning the rivers 
to blood is always popular in a pinch; and 3) The Air Force could 
always fly over the Middle East and drop a butt-load of frogs on the locals.

And if all else fails, we can just start killing off every first-born 
male child. You have to stick with the classics. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake