cannabisnews.com: The Cannabis Killers The Cannabis Killers Posted by FoM on November 09, 1999 at 14:33:23 PT By Claude Morgan Source: ENN Last year, state and federal law enforcement agents hand-plucked 55,311 marijuana plants from Florida soil. That's just the beginning, says Jim McDonough, the state's law-enforcement drug czar. In July, McDonough announced that he wanted to release a pot-eating fungus to finish off the state's domestic crop of marijuana. "If science says this is a safe way to effectively eradicate drug crops, then that's a good discovery," he says. "It's science." But scientists who regularly work in the agricultural field have reservations. "It's a manifestly bad idea to go ahead with large-scale use of untested pesticides," say Margaret Mellon, director of Agriculture and Biological Technology at the Union of Concerned Scientists in Washington, D.C. She says that law enforcement's attempt to eradicate cannabis borders, at times, on reefer madness. The fungus, Fusarium oxysporum, developed by a Montana biotechnology firm to selectively target cannabis, infects the plant with a deadly root-eating canker, literally choking the life out of it. "The drug folks have been out there battling cannabis with a number of pesticides for years," says Mellon. "This is just case number 100." "It seems to me, at the very least, there are a lot of questions you'd want to answer before you release something like this into the environment." Dr. Tim Schubert, a biologist with the Florida Department of Agriculture, agrees. He's worried the fungus will mutate once it's released into the wild. Cannabis belongs to the Moraceae family, kin to varieties of mulberry and fig trees already established in Florida, says Schubert. In a worst-case scenario, the killer-fungus could mutate and turn on other members of the family, he warns. Worse still, the fungus could spin out of control horribly, damaging large portions of the state's agricultural industry. The thought of an agricultural disaster makes vegetable growers less than enthusiastic about the idea, too, says Schubert. "They know what other types of Fusarium do to their tomatoes and peppers, already." But, not everyone is condemning the drug czar's commitment to science. Dr. James Kimbrough, an expert on fungi at the University of Florida's Plant Pathology Department, says McDonough's proposal is based on perfectly sound science: It's just the delivery system that needs work. "Even if this Fusarium is a hot match for the marijuana plant, you still have the problem of application." Fusarium oxysporum thrives in open, cultivated fields, says Kimbrough. And the fungus often requires years of application before it can infiltrate the soil and work its magic on the roots. "To the best of my knowledge, marijuana isn't grown in fields in Florida. It's grown all over the place in patches. It's hidden." And if science is all about learning from the past, say scientists, then the drug czar might do well to revisit Florida's recent disastrous history of importing non-native plants and animals. "Florida already has a good deal of experience with the introduction of new species," says Jerry Brooks of Florida's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Florida currently battles the invasion of non-native plants like the kudzu vine, melaleuca tree, and water hyacinth - a war, state officials admit, they may already be losing. But in spite of the objections from science, the DEP and Department of Agriculture are giving the drug czar the green light to conduct quarantined tests in a state research facility in Gainesville. Even this may prove to be a meaningless application of science, says the Department of Agriculture's Schubert, still concerned about a Fusarium breakout. The state has limited quarantine facilities. And applicants are accepted based on the potential they have to improve the quality of life in Florida. "This one probably wouldn't even rate, right now," he says Schubert.Published: November 9, 1999 Related Articles & Web Site:Montana NORMLnorml montana.comhttp://www.montananorml.org MSU Confirms Research On Anti-Marijuana Fungushttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread3313.shtmlGroup Sues MSU Over Anti-Marijuana Fungushttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread3283.shtmlDecade of Classified MSU Research Soughthttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread3596.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #2 posted by Doctor Dave on November 09, 1999 at 20:11:26 PT What about hemp? More importantly, this fungus would also kill hemp plants. And it may render the hemp fields unplantable for years. I know that Florida is a long way from Canada's hemp fields, but Montana isn't.Doctor Dave"A nation that makes war on huge numbers of its own people can never truly be free." [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Alexandre Oeming on November 09, 1999 at 14:41:43 PT: Karma is gonna GETcha! >"It seems to me, at the very least, there are a lot of questions you'd want to answer before you release something like this into the environment."Zealotry ALWAYS trumps common sense when it comes to drug "control" efforts. That's just the way it is. These morons actually think they can play God like this and get away with it? They obviously either don't believe in karma or have a pretty warped idea of what it entails. Their "sound science" is going to bite them in the rear ... it's just too bad they want to take us all down at the same time. *sigh* [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: