Study of aerial spraying.

• Author: Conaway, Janelle
• Position: OAS - Brief Article

A TEAM OF SCIENTISTS from the OAS Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) has begun a yearlong study in Colombia to determine how aerial spraying of illegal crops with an herbicide affects human health and the environment. The study will also look at the health and environmental impacts of fungicides and herbicides used in illegal crop cultivation.

"The expert international team will apply the utmost academic rigor in conducting this study," noted CICAD Executive Secretary David Beall, adding that policymakers must have "independent, impartial, and scientific information" to effectively combat the drug problem.

The Colombian government had asked CICAD to do an independent evaluation of the effects of its aerial spraying program, which uses the herbicide glyphosate to eradicate illegal poppy and coca...