Canyon’s Law Bans Cyanide 'M44' Bombs on All Federal Land to Protect People and Pets

This new bill, officially titled Canyon’s Law, is straightforward: it bans the use of M44 devices—those spring-loaded tubes that shoot out highly toxic sodium cyanide—on all federal public land. The law is a direct response to the documented public safety risks posed by these devices, which the EPA classifies as a Category One acute toxicant. For anyone who uses public land for hiking, camping, or just letting their dog run around, this is a major safety upgrade. The bill mandates that any federal, state, or county agency currently operating these devices must remove every single one from public land within 30 days of the law taking effect, ensuring a rapid cleanup.

The 'Cyanide Bomb' Problem

To understand why this ban matters, you have to look at the findings section of the bill. These M44 devices are set up to kill predators like coyotes and wild dogs that prey on livestock, but they are notoriously indiscriminate. The bill cites multiple incidents where children were exposed to the poison, including one child in Idaho who suffered long-term health issues after exposure in 2017. Since 1990, over 50 family dogs have been killed by these things, often when they wander off-trail on public land. This isn't just a wildlife problem; it’s a public safety hazard that turns a simple hike into a game of toxic roulette.

Protecting the Wrong Targets

Beyond the human and pet risk, the bill highlights the collateral damage to wildlife. According to the bill’s findings, M44s are only successful at killing the intended target about 53 percent of the time. The rest of the time, they are wiping out non-target animals, including protected species like bald eagles, golden eagles, gray wolves, and even grizzly bears. If you’re paying taxes to fund wildlife conservation, it’s frustrating to see federal agencies using tools that accidentally kill the very animals they are supposed to protect. By banning the devices on public lands—which the bill defines as any land managed by agencies like the Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management—Canyon’s Law creates a necessary safety buffer for these vulnerable populations.

The Trade-Off for Ranchers

While this ban is a clear win for public safety and conservation, it does affect a specific group: livestock producers who rely on public land grazing allotments and use M44s for predator control. These ranchers will lose a tool they currently use to protect their herds from coyotes and other predators, which directly impacts their bottom line. The bill doesn't offer an alternative, but it forces these agencies and producers to switch to non-lethal or more targeted predator control methods on federal ground. This shifts the cost and effort of predator management, but it eliminates a chemical hazard that has proven too dangerous to be near the general public.