COLOMBIA DRUG DISASTER

I am pleased that Rafael Lemaitre, the deputy press secretary in the White
House Office of National Drug Policy, took notice of my Sept. 14 Commentary
column, "Plan Colombia: Poisoning a country," in his Sept. 23 letter, "Plan
Colombia a clear success."

A few facts: To say that the glyphosate used in Colombia is your
garden-variety herbicide is, to put it kindly, untrue. Mr. Lemaitre and
company know that the glyphosate used in Colombia is being mixed with other
chemicals that have not been approved, or even tested for harmful effects.
The chemical company Monsanto specifically states not to mix glyphosate
(Roundup) with other chemicals. It goes on to say that users of its product
should wear gloves, protective clothing, and, especially, eye protection,
because of the possibility of severe eye damage. Try telling this to a
child when the planes come to spread their chemical brew on the Colombians'
fields, homes and schools.

It is true that there has been a reduction of coca in some parts of
Colombia. However, Accion Andina, an independent agency monitoring growth
and production of coca, reports that before fumigation began, coca could be
found in 12 Colombian provinces; now it can be found in 20.

The agency also reports an increase in the production of coca in nearby
countries. One wonders: Is the White House contemplating spraying in these
countries, too? Will our fumigating planes fly deeper into the Amazon forest?

I wonder if the White House reads its own State Department report, dated
March 2004, stating that the price of coca is not rising in Colombia, and
that coca cultivation is increasing elsewhere. Even "Drug Czar" John
Walters has said that fumigation has failed to make a significant dent in
the amount of cocaine flowing out of Colombia.

Colombia's President Alavaro Uribe has provided some Colombian families
with alternative-development aid. However, he should be aware that some of
these funded projects have been fumigated. According to a U.N. report,
fumigation has destroyed 11 government-sponsored substitution and
alternative-to-coca-production programs. Also note that 10,000 complaints
of food-crop fumigation have been filed with the U.S. Embassy in Colombia.

It is worth noting, too, that some Colombian government officials have ties
to paramilitary narco-traffickers. President Uribe could be doing more to
weed out these corrupt politicians.

In conclusion, I refer the White House Office of National Drug Policy to a
Rand Corporation study that states that prevention and drug-treatment
therapies are 23 times more effective than drug-eradication programs. To
date, U.S. taxpayers have spent $3.3 billion on Plan Colombia. I think
another approach is in order.

Martin Lepkowski

Wakefield