Tallahassee

ANTI-POT FUNGUS WOULD BE USED ONLY AFTER TESTING

I read with great interest the Times' article on July 17 (Killer fungus
touted to eradicate state pot crop) and the subsequent editorial on July 20
(Marijuana-killing fungus too risky) concerning the research and testing of
Fusarium oxysporum, a fungus already present in the environment that offers
promise as a method to eradicate the marijuana plant.

The alarmist tone and insinuation evident in both pieces may serve to raise
undeserved concerns.

The article and editorial cited an April 6 letter from the Department of
Environmental Protection to the Office of Drug Control in which the DEP
expressed concern about the untested use of this agent. Untested use has
never been proposed.

The DEP, after further review of the proposal, said in a June 11 follow-up
letter that testing could proceed.

Both letters were provided to your paper.

No decision to proceed with testing has been made. At the two meetings on
this matter, only quarantine testing -- to ensure the absolute safety of the
agent before considering further use -- was discussed. The Times' decision
to ignore the context of the DEP's comments in the April 6 letter violates
the rules of fair, objective journalism.

A good decision is an informed decision, and testing would allow us to make
a good decision.

The Times, on the other hand, by taking comments out of context and basing
both the article and editorial on them, has chosen to take a
head-in-the-sand position on what could be an effective tool in helping save
thousands of Floridians from substance abuse.

Millions of dollars in projects like this one are tested in Florida each
year. None that has been determined safe in tests has proved otherwise in use.

Marijuana is not a harmless drug. Its short-term effects are dangerous and
its long-term effects are damaging.

And for thousands of addicts, marijuana is the initial experience that
correlates to the use of more dangerous and even deadly substances. The
article and editorial correctly state that 55,000 marijuana plants were
pulled up in Florida last year but fail to mention that the unusually dry
weather and wildfires yielded fewer plants. We can't always count on Mother
Nature to be so kind to the state's anti-drug efforts.

In 1992, for example, authorities destroyed 243,452 plants, more than four
times the 1998 figure.

Indications that the indoor growing of marijuana is on the rise are
absolutely no reason to believe that outdoor production will come to a halt
and no reason to abandon outdoor eradication efforts.

In fact as detection methods for indoor production improve, outdoor growing
will likely become more attractive again.

It is clear that the Times has been selective with the facts to present a
slanted view. This is hardly the mark of fair and balanced journalism. I
would hope that in any future stories on this and other matters your paper
strives toward that ideal.