Mycoherbicide Mania!
The good guys at the Drug Policy Alliance are trying to hip right-thinking Americans to the latest buzz-harshing legislation in Washington, D.C.:
Congress is considering a drug war idea so bad that even Drug Czar John Walters is against it. The House has authorized, and the Senate is considering, a proposal to revive research on the use of toxic, mold-like fungi called mycoherbicides to kill drug crops in other countries….
Mycoherbicides have already been extensively studied over the last thirty years - and the results make it clear that they are not an option for controlling crops of coca or opium poppies. They attack indiscriminately, destroying fruit and vegetable crops, causing open sores and feminization in reptiles and other animals, and sickening humans as well. The toxins mycoherbicides produce contaminate soil for years, so that nothing can grow where they have been. Mycoherbicides are so destructive that governments have even stockpiled them as weapons!
Now, as much as I'd like to live in a world finally free of fruits and vegetables and populated only by oozing girlie-lizards and sickened humans, I'd rather see that utopia come about through some sort of "magic nano" spray gone awry, not as an extension of the drug war.
For more info on mycoherbicide, go here.
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[instert dihydrogen monoxide comments here]
Looks like somebody finally got the news that all the spraying they've done south of the border resulted in resistant strains of cocoa plants.
It's obviously a terrible idea, but apparently the Drug Policy Alliance put out some incorrect info:
[URL redacted to make the server happy]
A mycoherbicide is a formulation of fungal spores in a carrier, which can be applied to weeds in the same way as a chemical herbicide. The spores germinate on the plant, penetrate the plant tissues and cause a disease, which could eventually kill the plant. Mycoherbicides are host-specific and therefore cause no side effects to non-target organisms, and do not pollute the environment. Considerable progress has been made in this field with the development of two mycoherbicides from naturally occurring pathogens. One is used in the control of hakea seedlings, the other to prevent regrowth on stumps of black and golden wattle. Research is underway to develop mycoherbicides against prosopis and water hyacinth.
[URL redacted to make the server happy]
("mycoherbicides" or "bioherbicides") have been available for some time, and the development of new ones is increasingly routine (see e.g. International Bioherbicide Group http://ibg.ba.cnr.it/). These products are usually host specific either due to the physiology of the fungus, or because of the way they are used.
Mycoherbicides are host-specific and therefore cause no side effects to non-target organisms, and do not pollute the environment.
I don't suppose there's one that only nails busybodies?
When are those wacky drug warriors going to learn that fire is the cleanser. All they have to do is burn down all of South America. Well, and Asia, and most of British Columbia.
Every Reasonoid should have a little dystopiacide stashed in their decoder ring.
"Looks like somebody finally got the news that all the spraying they've done south of the border resulted in resistant strains of cocoa plants."
Thank God...The war on chocolate seems to finally be winding down.
do not forget northern California, Oregon, Washington, much of the the midwest, Most of Hawaii, and of course a lot of British Columbia.
coca...I meant coca.
Anyone with a sense of historical context want to fill me in on how this stacks up to paraquat in the '70s?
Wait, so dropping a chemical that kills food sources and makes people sick, among other things, isn't that essentially an act of war? I guess we have agreements with the countries that we would be using this against? But still, how could anybody think this shit is a good idea
"coca...I meant coca.
I know, I couldn't help myself.
"Wait, so dropping a chemical that kills food sources and makes people sick, among other things, isn't that essentially an act of war?"
Yes, of the nasty chemical and biological variety. This, to me anyway, is why I think the FARC and any other group that can get hold of surface-to-air weaponry is totally justified in shooting down fumigation planes. In fact, I think it is their duty. I'd like to see Sullum call crop fumigation--as it is currently carried out--chemical warfare and mycoherbicide application--as it is proposed--biological warfare at one of those DC drug war get togethers and watch everyone get apoplectic. Those terms are not hyperbole folks. But hey, Americans don't use chemical and biological weapons indiscriminately...do they?
"as much as I'd like to live in a world finally free of fruits and vegetables and populated only by oozing girlie-lizards"
Lovely imagery Nick.
Call your congressional represenatives. Tell them we want that.
Our tax dollars at work.
I don't want to look it up now, but I saw the recent US government commentary saying Afghanistan will be (even more) problematic beginning about now, and going forward, because da killin' o' da poppies is about to begin in dead earnest.
Speaking of dead Ernest, Step One is to prohibit using the bodies of Christians to fertilize da poppies.
Rome took a lot more provoking before they would salt the earth their enemies lived on.