Defying U.S., Colombia halts aerial spraying of crops used to make cocaine

The United States had pressed the Colombian government to continue the spraying program
The New York Times (US)
Thursday, May 14, 2015

Fumigation_Colombia_NYTThe government of Colombia rejected a major tool in the American-backed antidrug campaign — ordering a halt to the aerial spraying of the country’s vast illegal plantings of coca, the crop used to make cocaine, citing concerns that the spray causes cancer. The decision ends a program that has continued for more than two decades, raising questions about the viability of long-accepted strategies in the war on drugs in the region.