Pubdate: Wed, 11 Dec 2002
Source: Minnesota Daily (MN Edu)
Copyright: 2002 Minnesota Daily
Contact:  http://www.mndaily.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1280
Author: Claire Kirchhoff
Note: Claire Kirchhoff is a University senior majoring in anthropology.
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)

U.S. POLICY AGAINST DRUGS HITS WRONG TARGET

Part of the Plan Colombia legislation passed under the Bill Clinton 
administration includes crop fumigation as a tactic in the U.S. 
government's "war on drugs." Briefly, this aspect of Plan Colombia entails 
spraying coca fields with pesticides to kill the crop. Coca is the plant 
from which cocaine can be derived.

Several flaws exist in this plan, which adversely affect both the Colombian 
people and the so-called drug war.

Crop-dusting planes fumigate with a more powerful concentrate of the 
commercially available Roundup. This highly toxic chemical not only kills 
coca plants, but also yucca, beans, rice, coffee and other crops that 
people sell or eat. Killing a farmer's crops is devastating, and Roundup 
makes it impossible to continue cultivating the land. It leaves the farmer 
with two choices: He can clear more forest for new land, which further 
depletes the rainforest. Or he could move to the already-crowded Colombian 
cities where unemployment rates are high. This is an important example of 
the economic and public health consequences borne by the people who are 
most closely affected by this U.S. policy.

Direct exposure to the toxic chemicals used for fumigation as well as 
contaminated water sources has begun a disturbing trend of health problems 
in Colombia.

The solution might seem obvious.

Colombian farmers should not grow coca to avoid having their crops fumigated.

This solution is not realistic for the same reason that Plan Colombia is a 
wasted effort in the war on drugs.

An entire growing season is lost to a farmer when crops are fumigated.

It takes more than a year for a crop of bananas or yucca to mature, 
especially when it is necessary to establish a new field.

On the other hand, it takes only four months for a crop of coca to mature 
and be ready to sell. Besides, it is easier to grow coca than food crops on 
soil contaminated by the fumigation, and drug cartels are often willing to 
provide the coca seed and pay in advance for their crops.

The immediate economic benefits of growing coca as a cash crop for a small 
farmer whose livelihood has been destroyed are obvious.

The Plan Colombia fumigation policy is one that fosters the establishment 
of more coca fields, not one that eliminates them.

The United States has spent over $1.9 billion in aid to Colombian security 
forces, and most of this money has been used for crop fumigation. The war 
on drugs is already a contested U.S. policy.

Plan Colombia begs several questions: Is crop fumigation an effective 
tactic in the war on drugs?

The annual U.S. military budget, at $396 billion, is far larger than the 
budgets for health and educational services combined.

Is this the most effective use of the United States' extravagant military 
budget?

Should the majority of the monetary aid sent to Colombia be used to degrade 
the environment and threaten people's health?

Why are our tax dollars being spent on a futile effort that not only kills 
plants but also people?
- ---
MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager