Legalization of Coca Production in Bolivia - Essay Example

7 May 2007 Evo Morales: Legalization of Coca Production In Bolivia Juan Evo Morales Ayma (commonly known as Evo Morales) is the President of Bolivia, and the country's first indigenous head of state since the Spanish Conquest (Brea; Evo). He is the leader of Bolivia's effort to legalize the use of coca leaves and stop the eradication of the crops. Coca leaves are so much a part of Bolivia's history and culture that Morales, a former farmer, considers these crops a necessary product in Bolivia's economy, but because of the crop's connection to cocaine and the drug trafficking problem, he has faced a great deal of resistance, mainly from the United States. Morales has made discrimination and oppression experienced by Bolivia's indigenous groups a top priority in his presidency (Brea). Coca Leaf Eradication Efforts Since the early 1990s, the United States of America has put pressure on the Bolivian government to reduce the amount of coca leaves produced for refinement by the international drug trade. Cocaine is one of the many ingredients in the coca leaves. In 1995 the livelihood of one out of eight Bolivians was dependent on coca, with Bolivia the world's largest grower of coca after Peru and Columbia. Hugo Banzer, who was Bolivia's president at the time, developed a plan to eradicate the coca plant (Evo 9.3.3.1-2). Between 1997 and 2000, the production of coca fell from 45,800 hectares to 14,600 hectares. The eradication program has been funded by the United States with an average of $150 million a year (Evo 9.3.3). The focus on farmers rather than traffickers created worsening external economic conditions for peasants who had depended on coca production for their livelihood. Evo Morales began a campaign to oppose the eradication of the coca leaf crops. He was elected to the Bolivian Congress but was expelled in 2002 because of his association with anti-eradication factions. However, in 2005 he was supported by coca farmers and became president of Bolivia. His position was "zero cocaine and zero drug trafficking, but not zero coca or zero cocaleros (coca growers)" (Evo, 9.9.3.4). The Culture of Coca In determining whether Evo Morales should be encouraged or discouraged in his efforts to end the eradication of coca, the reasons for his efforts need a background in the use of the coca leaf itself. Coca has long played an important role in the culture of the Andeans, mainly as a chewable health supplement. The coca leaf contains many essential nutrients in addition to its well-known mood-altering substance, cocaine. It is rich in proteins and vitamins and grows in regions where other food sources are scarce. The energy boost from the cocaine in the leaf is very functional in areas where oxygen is scarce and extensive walking is necessary. Chewing coca leaves continues to be common in the high-altitude mountains of Bolivia (Coca 2.2; Oomen par. 11). It is further used as a spiritual substance by Andeans. It is the contention of the United States that the eradication of coca throughout the world is an important step in the effort to eradicate the production of cocaine and the illegal trafficking of cocaine. The policy of the international community-most often represented by the UN drug control agency, the United States Ambassador and to a lesser degree, the European Union representatives-has been more harmful in the Andean countries than in Europe, with violence, human rights violations and corruption. In Europe, the effort to close down the coca production is not so strictly advocated as in the United States. One representative of the European NGO Council on Drugs (ENCOD) offered awareness in 2003 of the effect of "fumigating 260,000 hectares of coca and opium to such an extent that farmers will be unable to grow anything in these fields for the next 15 to 20 years" (Oomen, par. 2). In the 1980s, the coca farmers in the Chapare (Bolivia) witnessed how US forces were organizing cocaine transportation instead of fighting coca cultivation. It was Oomen's concern that the conflict in Bolivia is not about coca or even drugs. It's a control issue over a region that has large reserves of natural resources like oil, gas, water, and genetic material. Legalization of Coco Leaf Crops By legalizing coca leaves and their inoffensive derivatives on an international basis an important step would be taken to remove US justification to force Andean countries to eradicate coca production. Morales views the coca plant as an important part of Bolivia's indigenous culture. Coca is used by many Bolivians for medicinal purposes and is considered sacred. Unfortunately, in a refined form it produces cocaine, a powerfully addictive drug, and the U.S.-backed coca eradication programs have shown little success in the fight against drugs, while encouraging government corruption (Brea). Morales considers the fight against drug trafficking to be an effort of the U.S. government to dominate the nations involved. Alcohol and cigarettes are legal drugs that have strict controls in place. Addiction to these substances becomes an individual problem that some people find impossible to resolve, but the people who choose to end the addiction are often successful. Because of the controls, use of these drugs is a matter of choice and their sale is part of the economy. Unlike cocaine, opiates, cannabis, or other illegal drugs, no cartels have been set up to distribute them illegally. Undercover distribution is not necessary. The Coca-Cola Controversy In 1985 Coca-Cola attempted to change the formula for their drink to compete with Pepsi-Cola. However, the "New Coke" never caught on and the company reverted to their old formula and called it "Coke Classic." Although the company denies the use of cocaine in their product, an affiliate of the company in Brazil bought large quantities of coca leaf in Bolivia in 1999, which was processed and sold as a mixture used in the production of Coca-Cola. The Bolivian media is convinced that Coca-Cola uses coca leaf in its formula and that the failure of "New Coke" to sell was because coca had been removed. The old formula was once again used in Coke Classic, which once more is called Coca-Cola. According to journalist Gmez in a 2002 article, Bolivia's Undersecretary of Social Defense reported that his office had authorized the exportation of 350,000 bricks of coca leaf to the United States "for the manufacturing of the soft drink, Coca-Cola" (par. 1). ENCOD's Joep Oomen also confirms the use of coca in Coca-Cola, and even though Coca-Cola claims to use a decocainized flavor essence in the coca leaves, the point is they do use coca leaves in Coca-Cola (C.J., 9.3). It should also be noted that, according to Oomen, the only exception to the ban on coca in 1961 was given to the use of coca in a soft drink that "sells 1 billion litres every 24 hours" (par. 12). According to Article 27 of the 1961 United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, especially designed to accommodate the needs of Coca-Cola, "The Parties may permit the use of coca leaves for the preparation of a flavoring agent, which shall not contain any alkaloids, and to the extent necessary for such use, may permit the production, import, trade in and possession of such leaves" (Thoumi 7). Exceptions to the Rule In the 1988 convention, coca leaves were categorized as a "hard" drug and other than in Coca-Cola manufacturing, Schedule I norms excluded all non-medical and research uses for coca with no clear norm for coca use. Peru signed the 1988 Convention as approved, but the Republic of Bolivia signed it with a reserve: That the coca leaf is not by itself a narcotic or psychotropic substance. That its use and consumption do not cause greater psychic or physic alterations than those resulting from the consumption of other plants and products used universally and freely. That the coca leaf has widespread medical uses protected by traditional medical practice defended by the World Health Organization and ratified by science. That it has industrial uses. That the use and consumption of coca leaves is widespread in Bolivia. Because of this, if the measures mentioned (in the Convention) were to be accepted, a large share of the Bolivian population would have to be considered as criminal and sanctioned accordingly, which would make these norms inapplicable in this case. That it is necessary to state for the record that the coca leaf is converted into a drug when it is transformed through chemical processes that use materials and equipment originated outside Bolivia. On the other hand, the Republic of Bolivia will take all pertinent legal measures to control illicit coca plantings, use, consumption and trade to avoid the use of coca in narcotics manufacture. (Thoumi 10) Why Coca Should be Legalized Only when the coca leaf is processed by outside forces to extract cocaine does it become part of the drug trafficking business. President Morales has promised to concentrate on annihilating the illicit side of coca leaf usage. Evidently, all farmers are not willing to limit coca leaf production to legally sanctioned use. Because of the money to be made in illegal narcotics trade, there will be farmers willing to sell their crops for illegal processing, but those farmers, according to Morales, will be investigated and shut down. If the efforts of the United States and the United Nations to fight drug trafficking showed any signs of success, it might be feasible to control coca leaf production, but not to eradicate it. That, however, is moot since the attempt to eradicate coca leaf crops is having no appreciable effect on ending the production of cocaine. Morales advocates cooperative farming, a return to communal life and a strong federal government. For him, the effort is indigenous, not, as the American government labels it, anti-Democratic. As an Aymara Indian who grew up herding llamas before becoming a coca farmer and union leader, he relates to the people in a country that is two-thirds indigenous. Morales has pledged to "legalize coca in all of Bolivia" (Kurtz par. 6). He is, however, a politician and politicians often make promises they cannot keep. Even so, his objections to the eradication of coca leaf farming as a political ploy make perfect sense. Unfortunately, in an active drug market, the demand for cocaine may never end but the government can certainly focus on cocaine production rather than coca leaf planting. Bolivians brew coca leaf into tea, chew it as a mild stimulant and appetite suppressant and use it for a variety of indigenous practices. Why should they be forced to give up a way of life and their means of economic survival Morales makes his point, saying: "Coca is not cocaine. The producer of coca leaf is not a drug trafficker and the consumer is not an addict, this must be clear" (Ballv par. 9). Works Cited Ballv, M. "'Mother Coca' Wins in Bolivia-Can Evo Morales Foster World Coca Market" 21 December 2005. New American Media. 4 May 2005. http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.htmlarticle_id=99b24b3ff23a2b115a2802b7bf85117f Brea, J. "Evo Morales, President of Bolivia." 2007. About.com, part of The New York Times Company. 2 May 2007. http://worldnews.about.com/od/whoswhoinworldaffairs/p/evomorales.htm C.J. "The Legal Importation of Coca Leaves." 1999. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 2 May 2007. http://www.uic.edu/classes/osci/osci590/9_3%20The%20Legal%20Importation%20of%20Coca%20Leaf.htm "Coca: Traditional Uses." Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia. Last modified 29 April 2007. 1 May 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca "Evo Morales." Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia. Last modified 30 April 2007. 1 May 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evo_Morales#Licit_and_illicit_uses Kurtz-Phelan, Daniel. "Bolivia, After the Election." 22 December 2005. Slate. 4 May 2007. http://www.slate.com/id/2133057/ Oomen, J. "Legalize coca leaves - and break the consensus. 2003. The First International Symposium on Global Drug Policy: Lisbon 2003. 1 May 2007. http://www.senliscouncil.net/modules/events/lisbon/09_oomen Thoumi, Francisco E. "A Modest Proposal to Clarify the Status of Coca in the United Nations Conventions. Bogot: Centro Editorial Universidad del Rosario, 2005, 1-15. 2 May 2007. http://www.urosario.edu.co/FASE1/economia/documentos/fthoumi_a_modest_proposal.pdf Read More