Legislation approved by Congress last month allocates $23 million toward developing a new fungus aimed at destroying drug-producing plants like marijuana. U.S. officials stated that they hope to introduce the soil-borne fungi to foreign nations such as Columbia, Peru, and Bolivia.
“We are setting a dangerous precedent by promoting the development of biological agents in the war on marijuana,” NORML Executive Director R. Keith Stroup, Esq. said. “There is a real danger that such a toxic agent may have serious adverse impacts on surrounding plants and the ecosystems of these nations. Is this really a path we want to pursue?”
Professor Paul Arriola, a expert in plant genetics at Elmhurst College in Illinois, agreed. “It’s frightening to think that in the search for a quick fix, we might cause ourselves more long-term ecological and social problems,” he said.
Representatives Bill McCollum (R-Fla.) and Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) spearheaded the legislation, which they called a potential “silver bullet” in the war on drugs.
For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre of The NORML Foundation @ (202) 483-8751.