GMO OMG

In the words of Drake, 🎶 What a time, to be alive. 🎶

I was asked earlier what I have against GMOs and I wanted to share my arguments with all of you because it is one of the most pressing issues facing our generation and our future generations. I have included scientific studies for you too. Just click on the links.

Where do I start? The fact that GMOs require a ton more pesticides is the most concerning. Some of them come with pesticides already in tact (Round Up ready corn, aka GMO corn, is registered with the EPA as a pesticide, not as a food). Some of these pesticides are now being labeled as human carcinogens & we are consuming them by the tons thanks to GMOs. In fact, the most widely used Herbicide, Glyphosate, was labeled by the World Health Organization as a "probable human carcinogen." Meaning it probably causes cancer. Many experts believe the rise of gluten intolerance and celiac is actually our bodies response to Glyphosate. Wheat is sprayed heavily with Glyphosate right before being harvested. 

A lot of these pesticides & herbicides are also endocrine disruptors. When we disrupt the endocrine system it leaves the body susceptible to diseases such as Thyroid malfunction, cancer & infertility issues. Just to name a few. With infertility issues on the rise, experts are pointing fingers at pesticide exposure as a huge culprit. Here is a study.

Thanks to the pesticides on GMO crops, we are devastating the entire soil ecosystem, killing the soil & all the bugs & nutrients that give life to plants. We won't be able to plant future crops in dead soil. These pesticides are also killing our bees at astronomical rates & without bees we won't have 80% of our produce in the grocery store. Here is a list of foods we won't have without bees. 

The Feed the world concept is bullshit, there was a 30 year study done on organic farming (The Rodale Institute 30 year report) and it not only yielded the same amount of crops as GMO farming, it was found to be more sustainable for long term because it doesn't kill the ecosystem that crops need to survive. Also, we waste so much food in this country, if we just changed some of the laws we would have plenty to feed the world with. 

The longest study done on GMOs to date (which was only 240 days- keep in mind we don't have long term studies yet- WE ARE the long term studies for them) caused massive tumor growth in rats. NOTE: This study was originally retracted thanks to the financial and lobbying power of Monsanto, however, it was found that biochemical companies paid to discredit this scientist and the study was republished. 

In the words of geneticist Dr David Suzuki, "any scientist who tells you they know that GMOs are safe and not to worry about it, is either ignorant of the history of science or is deliberately lying. Nobody knows what the long-term effect will be.” Only more time and research will tell. Scientists can say we don't know the safety of them yet, which a fair and sound argument because the truth is we haven't conducted long enough studies to know either way. WE ARE the lab rats for them right now. Only time will tell. 

In my personal opinion, especially regarding all that we do know, it is safer to err on the side of safety and avoid them until we know more.

Perhaps the most concerning of all, if these agrochemical companies have nothing to hide why are they spending trillions on keeping us in the dark about them. If they have nothing to hide, why are they hiding from us? Food for thought.