New California legislation seeks to permanently ban paraquat, a powerful and widely used weedkiller that has been linked to Parkinson's disease and other serious health issues. Assembly Bill 1963, introduced recently by Assemblymember Laura Friedman , would sunset the use of paraquat beginning in January 2026. The herbicide, which is described by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as highly toxic, is regularly sprayed on almonds, grapes, cotton and other crops in the state.
Environmental Working Group President Ken Cook characterized paraquat as 'antique technology in agriculture' that has been on the market for more than 60 years. 'A lot of the chemicals that we're still relying on are archaic, outdated. It's time for them to go, and paraquat leads that list,' Cook said during the news conference. 'Most of the world has already moved on, including the parts of the world where originally paraquat was invented.