In what should serve notice to the world about the dangers of Monsanto-produced Roundup, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos announced Saturday that authorities will stop using the controversial herbicide glyphosate — also known by its brand name Roundup — to eradicate illegal coca plantations,
“I am going to ask the government officials in the National Drug Council at their next meeting to suspend glyphosate spraying of illicit cultivations” Santos said.
The spraying program is reminiscent of another Monsanto created health nightmare – the Vietnam-era spraying of Agent Orange on jungles. The powerful defoliant burned tree leaves, exposing Vietnamese soldiers underneath.
The legacy of Agent Orange is cancer – virtually anyone who came into regular contact with the powerful chemical contracted the deadly disease.
The Columbian spraying program, launched in 1994, has long been treated as sacrosanct by Colombian officials, who willingly accepted billions of dollars in funding from the United States. The flow of money from drug policy, to police and eventually to Monsanto highlights the parasitic relationship the powerful chemical company has with elected officials and government bureaucrats.
The World Health Organization warned in March that glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic,”. “The recommendations and studies reviewed by the Ministry of Health show clearly that yes, this risk exists,” Santos said.
Drug officials now have until October 1 to come up with a new plan to tackle illicit coca growing.
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