gwern comments on Now is the time to eliminate mosquitoes - Less Wrong

21 Post author: James_Miller 06 August 2016 07:10PM

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Comment author: gwern 19 August 2016 08:40:42PM 4 points [-]

You would, at the very least, be in violation of several acts regarding approval of GMOs: https://www.loc.gov/law/help/restrictions-on-gmos/usa.php https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulation_of_the_release_of_genetically_modified_organisms#United_States Specifically, you'd be violating FDA requirements by releasing '“new animal drugs” (NADs)' without approval. Depending on whether mosquitoes are considered plant pests, it looks like you'd also be violating Department of Agriculture laws. I assume you'd probably also be violating a number of EPA laws but didn't see anything specifically about that.

Comment author: James_Miller 19 August 2016 08:54:18PM 1 point [-]

Couldn't you get around these laws by either (a) releasing the mosquitoes outside of the U.S. or (b) creating and releasing them outside of the U.S.?

Comment author: gwern 19 August 2016 09:02:02PM 2 points [-]

Maybe not. At least one bioterrorism provision has extraterritoriality.