Joe Public and Pesticides Purchase

In the US any Joe Blow can waltz into a home and garden store and purchase pesticides and apply them however he's sees fit? Contrast the farmer who must constantly keep up with the latest application techniques while facing a barrage of ever changing rules and regulations and I wonder if there is a contradiction of sorts? In Canada it is a different ballgame, at least 60 municipalities have banned the use of what they term "cosmetic" pesticides, but one that has managed to escape the hatchet is the popular 2, 4-D. Despite an outcry from the environmental community that 2,4-D is dangerous for humans, Canada`s Pest Management Regulatory Agency did not find any evidence that it could cause cancer after prolonged testing on animals. Companies that manufacture the mixture like Syngenta, Monsanto, Bayer, Dupont and Dow Agriscience are applauding Canada's recent actions while consumer groups like The Canadian coalition for heath and the Environment say they will continue the fight for 2-4D's demise. I'm Susan Allen and this is Food Forethought. Source: ENN.com 02/22/05