Colombia says rise in coca cultivation shows why it was right to stop spraying

UN study finds area under crop rose 44% in 2014 during herbicide programme
The Guardian (UK)
Thursday, July 2, 2015

fumigationcolombiaA new UN study showing a steep rise in the cultivation of the leaf used to make cocaine offers fresh support to Colombia’s recent decision to end the aerial spraying of drug crops with herbicides. Justice minister, Yesid Reyes, said the report showed that the aerial aspersion strategy was ineffective. After spraying 1.5m hectares in the past 12 years, the total reduction of coca crops was just 12,000 hectares, Reyes said. Paraphrasing Albert Einstein, he added: “Insanity is to continue doing the same thing and expect different results.”