cannabisnews.com: EU Scientists Legalize Controversial Herbicide 





EU Scientists Legalize Controversial Herbicide 
Posted by CN Staff on October 03, 2003 at 10:19:36 PT
By Reuters 
Source: Reuters 
Brussels -- EU scientists agreed on Friday to legalize the controversial herbicide paraquat, to the fury of environmentalists who insist the chemical is acutely toxic for both humans and animals."There was a vote and it was passed, so the European Commission can now adopt it (as a regulation). The Nordic states voted against...but there will be a lot of conditions," said an official at the EU's executive Commission.
Paraquat became widely known when it was sprayed on Latin American marijuana fields in the 1970s as a defoliant. It is currently authorized as a weedkiller in 10 EU member states but Friday's ruling makes its use legal across the bloc.Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Austria -- all of which have banned paraquat for many years -- voted against the proposal, and were joined by Luxembourg. The Netherlands abstained.Critics say it is impossible to handle paraquat safely and claim the chemical harms the lungs, skin and eyes of workers handling it. Paraquat producers deny these charges.It was not immediately clear what kind of conditions would be attached to using and selling paraquat, but Commission officials have previously said the herbicide is unlikely to be put on sale to the general public.The EU's debate over paraquat has been running for years, with a vote on bloc-wide legalization postponed four times due to bitter differences between the 15 member states.Environmentalists were outraged by the decision as they have long campaigned for paraquat's total removal from EU markets."The...approval of paraquat for the EU-wide marketing is irresponsible," said John Hontelez, secretary-general of the European Environmental Bureau lobby group."We urgently need a general reform of Europe's chemical policy, which prevents serious or long-term damage to human health and environment by forcing the substitution of such unacceptable chemicals with safer alternatives."In a statement co-signed by Friends of the Earth and Pesticides Action Network Europe, Hontelez said paraquat's legalization would lead to more use of the chemical and perhaps bring it back onto markets of countries where it was now banned.Source: ReutersPublished: October 3, 2003Copyright: 2003 Reuters Related Articles & Web Sites:Friends of the Earthhttp://www.foe.org/Pesticides Action Network Europehttp://www.pan-europe.net/Marijuana Users Warned To Steer Clear Of Red Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16937.shtmlHow Safe Are Your Illegal Drugs? http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11118.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #5 posted by FoM on October 03, 2003 at 11:33:25 PT
Winnipeg Free Press
Does anyone get the Winnipeg Free Press? I think there might be an article about Prime Minister Jean Chretien and smoking it seems to say in the Reuters article. Thanks for any leads.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #4 posted by Kegan on October 03, 2003 at 11:10:50 PT
news tip
Source: Reuters
Pubdate: October 3, 2003 Canadian PM Mulls Smoking Marijuana When He Retires OTTAWA (Reuters) - Now Canada can understand why Prime Minister Jean Chretien
seems to be in such a hurry to push through a law decriminalizing marijuana.Chretien, 69, said in an interview published on Friday that he might give pot a
try once it is no longer a criminal offense -- presumably after he retires in
February. Under the new law, pot users would only pay a fine if caught with
small amounts."I don't know what is marijuana. Perhaps I will try it when it will no longer be
criminal. I will have my money for my fine and a joint in the other hand," he
said in an interview with the Winnipeg Free Press.Over the objections of the U.S. administration, Chretien's government has
introduced a bill which would end criminal penalties for possession of 15 grams
(half an ounce, or 15 to 30 joints) of marijuana. It would remain illegal,
however, but only tickets would be handed out.Some members of Chretien's Liberal Party oppose the bill, however, and it was
uncertain whether it would pass in time for his retirement.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #3 posted by FoM on October 03, 2003 at 10:42:15 PT
Thanks firedog
I posted the Reuters article in a comment and am looking for an article from a paper that develops this story. I think there should be one or more articles soon but if there isn't I'll post the Reuters article.http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread17446.shtml#5
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #2 posted by kaptinemo on October 03, 2003 at 10:41:50 PT:
The EU has it's globalist fat-cats, too
But a sure way to stop this is to invite all those who believe the chemical is safe to drink a glass of it. Publicly...and no dripping, please.Why the stuff's so nasty:Know your pesticide: Paraquat 
http://www.prn2.usm.my/mainsite/bulletin/sun/1997/sun13.htmlWhat it does when ingested (from the article):*The major symptoms from paraquat ingestion are seen in the mouth and the oesophagus. They may include ulcers on the lips, burning and ulceration of the tongue and pharynx. In some massive ingestion cases, oesophageal ulceration may occur. This may proceed to oesophageal perforation. Following ingestion of greater than 50ml of the liquid concentrate, the patient may develop pulmonary oedema, cardiac failure, renal failure, liver failure and also convulsions caused by central nervous system involvement. Under these circumstances, death may occur within several hours to a few days as a result of multiple organ failure. Ingestion of a smaller volume (10 ml to 20 ml) of the concentrate produces the same symptoms with the exception that the development of renal failure occurs within two to six days after ingestion. The major effect of poisoning at this volume is the accumulation of high concentrations of paraquat in the lung. In the lung, the paraquat ion undergoes a continuous reduction-oxidation process to form free radicals capable of reacting with oxygen. This reaction leads to the production of a reactive oxygen also known as superoxide onion and the regeneration of the paraquat ions.*It gets MUCH worse after that. The rest of the article is in the same quasi-Latin polysyllables as the beginning, but it doesn't take much imagination to guess what they mean: ulcers like that of a mustard gas victim forming inside the body, the lungs unable to transfer gasses, pain, etc. 
Now, who in their right minds would want this stuff around? Not anyone who wants to live, that's for sure. But the EU's fat cats (like the ones we have here in the States that think environmentalism is a sham) who want it are pushing it through, come Hell or high water.I guarantee you, Hell will be following closely behind the country who starts to use this in populated areas, around farms and such.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by firedog on October 03, 2003 at 10:32:45 PT
FoM - here's an interesting story
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/politics/politics-life-canada-marijuana.html
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment