Legislation that would allow law enforcement to spray the herbicide glyphosate (brand name: “Round Up”) from low-flying helicopters on wild marijuana crops appears on its way to becoming law in Oklahoma. The bill was overwhelmingly passed by the House and Senate Agriculture Committee despite testimony and heavy campaigning from Oklahoma NORML activists who introduced evidence indicating several potential health and environmental hazards posed by the chemical. The full Senate is expected to approved the bill shortly.
“I have [recent] documentation from a doctor in Hawaii detailing scores of complaints from residents due to this herbicide being sprayed aerially,” testified Oklahoma NORML President Michael Pearson. “A mistake such as this [must] not happen … in Oklahoma.”
Pearson referred to several scientific and anecdotal reports linking glyphosate spraying to various illnesses. Most recently, a physician in Hawaii — Dr. Patricia Bailey — collected incident reports from some 40 persons, ages nine months to 84 years, who claimed to have contracted flu-like symptoms such as nausea and headaches shortly after aerial marijuana-eradication efforts were conducted on the island. Additional reports of alleged glyphosate-related hazards such as dead wildlife were reported by local Hawaiian television station KGMB and in the Hawaii Tribune-Herald.
Bailey and Pearson’s concerns echo statements made in several environmental publications over the last few years. For example, a report in the February 1993 issue of Global Pesticide Campaigner called marijuana eradication efforts using glyphosate in Colombia “unsuccessful” and highlighted the chemical’s potential dangers. “Reports from other countries where aerial spraying has been used in anti-drug programs are not encouraging,” states the article. “International health workers in Guatemala report acute poisonings in peasants living in areas near eradication spraying, while farmers in these zones have sustained serious damage to their … crops.”
Closer to home, residents in California have also complained of glyphosate exposure, according to an article in the winter 1995 edition of the Journal of Pesticide Reform. It states: “In California, the state with the most comprehensive program for reporting pesticide-cause illness, glyphosate was the third most commonly-reported pesticide illness among agricultural workers. Among landscape maintenance workers, glyphosate was the most commonly reported cause.” The article also called aerial movement of the chemical through unwanted drift “unavoidable.”
Presently, there are numerous 100-acre patches of wild marijuana growing in Oklahoma. The marijuana is left over from government-subsidized plots grown during World War II when low-THC strains of the plant were harvested for their fiber content. Commonly referred to as industrial hemp or “ditchweed,” this strain of marijuana will not get users “high” when inhaled.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Danny Hilliard (D-Sulfur), declared that passage of the legislation is “necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health, and safety.” Law enforcement currently conduct state marijuana eradication efforts on foot using portable glyphosate sprayers.
For more information on the use of glyphosate in marijuana eradication, please contact Paul Armentano of NORML at (202) 483-5500. For more information on H.B. 2116, please contact Michael Pearson of Oklahoma NORML at (405) 840-4367 or via e-mail at: Oknormlataol.com. Rep. Danny Hilliard may be reached at (405) 521-2711 or by writing to the Oklahoma House of Representatives at: 2300 North Lincoln St., Oklahoma City, OK 73105-4885.