‘Killer dope ’ may become reality
says NOR ML; blames U.S. govt
Poison
Pot
By KEVIN HACKETT
Of the Emerald
Decades ago in its publicity battles
against marijuana consumption, the
United States government labeled
the herb “killer dope—the assassin of
youth.”
While that campaign failed to con
vince a large segment of the popula
tion that smoking pot was deadly, the
government may now be guilty of
making killer dope a reality by helping
poison 10 percent of the marijuana
that crosses the Mexican border into
the United States.
The National Organization for the
Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML)
has charged the U.S. government of
endangering the health of its citizens
by assisting Mexican authorities in
spraying herbicides on marijuana
and poppy fields.
The spraying program, which was
outlined in documents obtained from
various federal agencies by NORML,
through the Freedom of Information
Act, has been underway since late
1975.
NORML says the documents re
veal the Drug Enforcement Ad
ministration (DEA) has supplied
Mexican authorities directly with
equipment and manpower, and indi
rectly with chemicals to spray mari
juana and poppy fields with paraquat,
a herbicide used mainly for cleaning
seed beds before planting crops and
weed control in fruit orchards, and the
herbicide 2,4-D.
A statement issued by the White
House’s Office of Drug Abuse Policy
in December lends credence to
NORML's charge that some mari
juana imported into this country from
Mexico may be contaminated with
the highly toxic herbicides.
The statement said the National
Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA)
analyzed samples of marijuana con
fiscated by the DEA in its Southwest &
Region. N IDA tested 45 samples av- ^
eraging 900 pounds each. They f|
found six of the samples contami- ij
nated with paraquat. 1
The report said there is concern
that plants sprayed with paraquat are **
being harvested before the herbicide ,
can kill the plant. NIDA has studied f
the effects the contaminated pot would
have on individual if it were ingested
and found that a person would have
to consume one pound of marijuana ^
in a matter of few hours for it to be
fatal.
However, NIDA has only recently
begun research into the effect the
smoke of paraqut-treated marijuana
might have. No report on the re
search has been issued yet.
Five weeks ago, NORML sent a
letter to the DEA and the state de
partment requesting that an En
vironmental Impact Statement (EIS)
concerning the spraying operation be
filed. It also demanded that a
moratorium be placed on all U.S. as
sistance with, and involvement in, the
spraying program until the EIS is
filed.
Peter Meyers, chief counsel for
NORML, said he has had discus
sions with DEA and state department
officials during the past month but no
progress has been made.
“We’ve had meetings with them
and they haven’t been too receptive,”
Meyers said. “Since we re getting no
action here, we re hoping to take
them to court in about a week.’’
David Hoover, public information
officer for the DEA, said the DEA has
formed a special committee to study
the effects of the herbicide spraying,
but that “to the best of my knowledge
our assistance to the Mexican gov
Drawing by Jim Payne
emment has not been discontinued.
While the spraying program's
primary purpose is to eradicate
poppy fields to stem the supply of
Mexican heroin flowing into the Uni
ted States, marijuana fields are also
being sprayed by the Mexicans with
equipment provided by the DEA, he
acknowledged.
Meyer said the federal government
argued that it doesn’t need to file an
EIS on actions taken by a foreign
government on its own soil.
NORML counters that the spraying
program effects the United States
environment as well as Mexico’s.
NORML estimates that 15 million
Americans are regular users of mari
juana.
The NORML letter cited several
cases in which U.S. government
assisted pesticide spraying and con
struction projects in foreign countries
were halted by court rulings until an
EIS was filed.
A story published by the New York
Daily News last November reported
the federal government has ex
tended its spraying assistance to
other foreign countries known to be
major producers of marijuana and
other illicit substances.
It was reported that gov
ernments of Venzuela, Columbia,
Burma and Jamaica have all been
offered assistance, but only Ven
ezuela accepted.
Hoover would not confirm the Daily
News’ allegations but did say that the
DEA has been in contact with the
Venezuelan government to dicuss
methods for stopping marijuana pro
duction in that country.
He added that a crop substitution
program has been initiated with Co
lumbia to replace coca fields with
other crops to help halt the supply of
cocaine available.
According to NIDA, paraquat
treated marijuana appears to be
“damp, yellowish and sickly looking.”
Detecting affected marijuana once it
hits the streets may be impossible
because the marijuana has probably
been manicured and in most in
stances has been mixed with un
treated plants.
Physical Plant seeks ok on energy plan
The University Physical Plant
will save about $48,000 a year in
energy costs if an energy-saving
plan it has submitted to the State
Board of Higher Education is ap
proved.
Jack Hunderup, vice-chancellor
for facilities planning, says a
$147,000 remodeling project
would enable the plant to use
gases that normally go up the
smokestack to pre-heat water be
fore it is fed into the boiler system.
The boiler would have less work to
do, resulting in the energy saving.
The remodeling would also in
volve additional insulation of duct
work.
The plan received initial ap
proval Feb. 23 by the board’s Fi
nance Committee. Later this
month it will go on to the full board
and if approved there, to the
Emergency Board for approval of
a funding scheme to pay for the
alterations. '
Harold Babcock, director of the
physical plant, is confident the
board will approve the plan.
Babcock says the smoke that
leaves the stack at the plant is
normally 450 degrees. The altera
tions would take 200 degrees from
the stack gases and use it to pre
heat the water used in the boilers.
He says this “heat recovery unit”
operates much like a car radiator.
The unit will save the physical
plant 11 to 12 percent in fuel con
sumption. This works out to about
$48,000 a year. So the system
could be paid for in three years.
Hunderup says the short pay
back period is one of the primary
attractions of the scheme.
Marquess Engineering of
Springfield was contracted by the
physical plant to recommend
energy-saving steps the plant
could undertake. Hunderup says
other recommendations were
made but the one proposed to the
board is the most practical right
now.
Hunderup and Babcock say
that if the plan is approved, the
heat recovery system should be in
operation by next summer.
70 Films From 20 Countries
MARCH 17-APRIL6
Movie House
Northwest Rim Study Center
Cinema 21
See the Sunday March 12 Oregonian
for complete festival program
St. Patrick’s
Run for the Shamrocks
10,000 Meter Competition Race (all
classes) 5000 Meter Fun Run
First Man and Woman 10,000 Finisher will
receive round trip air fare to San Francisco
Free T-Shirts to All Entrants
$5.00 Entry, please pre-register at Oregon
Athletic, Sheldon Plaza or before race.
Irish music, dancing and refreshment at Autzen.
For more Oregon Athletic
info call: 124 W Broadway (on Mall) 343-1288
Sheldon Plaza Merchants
Coburg Rd.
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