Poisonous plants: good or bad?

Insects are very successful creatures. They are very adaptable and, because of their own variable genes and because they breed so fast, can quickly overcome chemical poisons used by humans. Every time a new poison -- pesticide -- is made, within a few years, pesky insects become immune to it. The same is already happening with the new transgenic plants which make their own insect poisons. Unfortunately, these same poisons are very important in organic farming as a weapon of last resort. Organic farmers use it only occasionally and it's very effective because the pests have no chance to get used to it. Some transgenic crops make this poison -- called Bt toxin -- all the time in every part of the plant: roots, stems and leaves. So insects are developing resistance to the poison which will soon make Bt useless.

But what about the people or animals which eat these plants? Fortunately, Bt toxin is poisonous only to insects and appears to have no effect on other animals. But not everybody agrees that this is the case. Who and what do you believe?

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