Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 7/10/18

Witnesses will begin to testify this week as the first trial alleging that Monsanto's weedkiller Roundup causes cancer has kicked off in California. Lee Johnson, a groundskeeper for a school district in Benicia, Calif., says years of spraying hundreds of gallons of the product led him to develop non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a form of cancer. Opening statements took place Monday.

The case is separate from a class-action suit involving more than 300 plaintiffs who argue that exposure to the company's flagship weedkiller caused them to develop non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. That case is waiting on an evidentiary decision from a judge who could determine whether it'll proceed.

Johnson's case is taking place on its own because attorneys feared that the 46-year-old would die before proceedings began. While the jury's decision will have no bearing on the class-action suit, it will still be considered a bellwether for other claims.

Monsanto's response: Monsanto, which was formally acquired by Bayer last month, has argued in court filings that glyphosate has been deemed safe by "every major regulatory agency." Cancers "take many years to form," the company said, and Johnson wasn't exposed to Roundup long enough to make a connection between the product and his diagnosis. He was first exposed in 2012 and received a diagnosis in 2014.