What would you say if a state or province banned the use of pesticides as a precautionary measure, even if no definitive quantitative evidence were available to support the claim that pesticides are harmful to humans and/or to the environment?

It is my opinion based on history that anything artificial that we put in the environment is bad. If a state decided to ban something like pesticide without showing any scientific research, I would probably support it but insist that the research be done so that we can find out what the effects are and if they are harmful. A preliminary ban on anything artificial being put into the environment is a good precaution.

"Excessive pesticide use if North America has led to a decline of up to 50% of managed colonies of honeybees." http://www.peopleandplanet.net/doc.php?id=3450 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - “If the bee disappears from the surface of the Earth, man would have no more than four years to live. No more bees. No more pollination . . . no more men!” Albert Einstein.