FUNGUS TO KILL DRUG POPPIES UNDER STUDY

LONDON, BRITAIN -- Britain and the United States are funding biological
research aimed at developing a virulent fungus that destroys opium poppies,
the raw material for heroin.

The Sunday Times of London reported that the two nations are sharing the
$500,000 cost of the research program.

The research is being conducted at a laboratory in Uzbekistan "to find out
whether the project is viable," a British Foreign Office spokeswoman said
over the weekend.

According to the paper, scientists at Uzbekistan's state genetics institute
have drawn up plans to make enough fungus to infect thousands of acres of
opium poppies in central Asia.

It said the fungus also could be used against poppies in Southeast Asia and
South America.

Myanmar traditionally has been the biggest supplier of poppies, but
cultivation has spread more recently into Afghanistan and Colombia.

Checked-by: "Rolf Ernst"