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With little to live on, villagers here grow marijuana, one of few crops that somehow manages to flourish in this dry environment. They are subsistence farmers trying to feed their families. The crop, which is collected by middlemen, is destined for South Africa\u2019s urban markets.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAs in most of the world, marijuana is illegal in South Africa. For years, police have taken aggressive measures in communities across Pondoland to dissuade them from cultivating the crop. Mkumbi residents describe how police break down the doors of their homes, make arrests, and beat them. In the last decade, the South Africa Police Service has taken to indiscriminate spraying of the cannabis fields from helicopters using glyphosate \u2013 the same substance that Colombia \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2015\/05\/15\/world\/americas\/colombia-halts-us-backed-spraying-of-illegal-coca-crops.html?_r=0\u0022\u003Erecently banned\u003C\/a\u003E after a World Health Organization (WHO) \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.centerforfoodsafety.org\/files\/glyphosate-faq_64013.pdf\u0022\u003Ereport\u003C\/a\u003E linked it to cancer in humans.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022embed\u0022 data-type=\u0022image\u0022\u003E\n\n\n \n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022embed align-left embedded-entity embedded-entity-type-media embedded-entity-bundle-image embedded-entity-viewmode-embeddable embed--left\u0022 xmlns:xlink=\u0022http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\u0022\u003E\n \n\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \n \n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\u0022figure figure--expand text-center info \u0022\u003E\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022figure__media relative inline-block mx-auto\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ca href=\u0022\/modal\/27882\u0022 rel=\u0022modal:open\u0022 class=\u0022figure__link\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 srcset=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/480w\/public\/multimedia_images_2016\/2016-03-health-south_africa-africa-drugs.jpeg?itok=IKqAg-FB 480w, \/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2016\/2016-03-health-south_africa-africa-drugs.jpeg?itok=SF_z3Qn2 946w\u0022 sizes=\u0022(max-width: 524px) 100px, 500px\u0022 width=\u0022946\u0022 height=\u0022630\u0022 data-responsive-image-style=\u0022embedded_images\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2016\/2016-03-health-south_africa-africa-drugs.jpeg?itok=SF_z3Qn2\u0022 alt=\u0022Cannabis growing in the village of Mkumbi.\u0022\u003E\n\n\n\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022figure__expand absolute block bottom-0 right-0 w-8 h-8 bg-white text-gray-700\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022sr-only\u0022\u003EClick to expand Image\u003C\/span\u003E\n \n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022icon fill-current w-full inline-block\u0022\u003E\n \u003Csvg viewBox=\u00220 0 20 20\u0022 fill=\u0022currentColor\u0022 role=\u0022img\u0022 focusable=\u0022false\u0022 aria-hidden=\u0022true\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cuse xlink:href=\u0022\/themes\/custom\/hrw_design\/dist\/app-drupal\/assets\/spritemap.svg?cacheBuster=250315#sprite-expand\u0022 \/\u003E\n \u003C\/svg\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/a\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022figure__info text-left font-serif text-xs md:text-sm lg:text-base mx-auto text-gray-700 mt-1\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022figure__caption\u0022\u003ECannabis growing in the village of Mkumbi.\n\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022figure__credit\u0022\u003E\u00a9 UMZIMVUBU FARMERS SUPPORT NETWORK\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n \u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\n\n\n\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EVillagers say that the helicopters not only spray the cannabis fields, but waterways, food crops, animals, and even people. One woman said she saw helicopters chase a man who was fleeing and doused him with glyphosate. Another described how police routinely land helicopters and ransack houses in search of cannabis. Villagers have started fighting back, documenting their experiences in \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3o7qrHo_COY\u0022\u003Evideo\u003C\/a\u003Es, creating a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Stop-Spraying-the-Umzimvubu-Region-former-Transkei-with-Harmful-Chemicals-1611888669041929\/?rc=p\u0022\u003EFacebook group\u003C\/a\u003E, and engaging legal counsel to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/1611888669041929\/photos\/pcb.1750755151821946\/1750754908488637\/?type=3\u0026amp;theater\u0022\u003Eseek an injunction\u003C\/a\u003E against spraying.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIn \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/1611888669041929\/photos\/pcb.1753973444833450\/1753971948166933\/?type=3\u0026amp;theater\u0022\u003Eresponse\u003C\/a\u003E to a letter from a lawyer, the police have defended the practice, saying they refuse to be \u201cderailed\u201d from their mission to eradicate illicit cannabis. The police say their actions are supported by their constitutional mandate to combat crime and approved by environmental experts. They also refuse to warn villagers about upcoming spraying campaigns saying it is \u201cunaware of any situation in the world where the police must pre-warn offenders before law enforcement operations can be conducted.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ESouth Africa has an obligation to protect the health and living environment of its people, including villagers who grow illegal cannabis crops. Indiscriminately \u2013 and even deliberately \u2013 spraying villages, non-cannabis crops, water sources, and villagers themselves is clearly inconsistent with this obligation.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003EFor more information on cultivation of illegal crops and the impact of eradication efforts, please visit\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E:\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.opensocietyfoundations.org\/reports\/drug-crop-production-poverty-and-development\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.opensocietyfoundations.org\/reports\/drug-crop-production-poverty-and-development\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n\u003C\/div\u003E\n","settings":null},{"command":"insert","method":"prepend","selector":".js-view-dom-id-blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__288403__en","data":"","settings":null}]