For Related Articles and More Information, Please Visit OCA’s Genetic Engineering Page, Millions Against Monsanto Page and our Hawaii News Page.

A total of 9,500 signatures were submitted to the county on Monday as part of a petition calling for the suspension of genetically-engineered operations and practices in Maui County.

The signatures were submitted by The Shaka Movement in an attempt to get the item on the November ballot as an initiative.

Mark Sheehan PhD, one of five residents who started the petition, said that by submitting the document, it marks the start of a 45 day period in which the County Registrar will review the signatures to verify that they are from valid individuals who are registered to vote in Maui County.

According to Sheehan, the group has an additional 1,500 petition sheets that have yet to be notarized. During the next few weeks, organizers say they will continue their efforts to gather more signatures as a buffer to ensure that the group has the required 8,500 valid signatures to qualify for inclusion on the November ballot.

Sheehan said the action has become necessary because of the thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to Maui legislators from Monsanto and chemical corporations. He also said a critical factor for petition backers their belief that, “a wide range of illnesses – childhood cancers, miscarriages, birth defects, ADD, ADHD, allergies, asthma, and more – are related to the contamination of the environment from massive use of pesticides.”

“Every day brings more evidence of research studies from around the world linking both pesticides and GMOs to these illnesses and ailments,” said Sheehan in an email communication announcing the group’s progress in obtaining signatures.

“Submitting these signatures today was of major importance for the health of the public as well as our ability to take action to overcome the ineffectiveness of our compromised politics,” said Sheehan.