• December 22nd, 2009

  Coca Leaves

  Traditional medicine in Bolivia involves a wide use of coca leaves. This plant is valued because of the high content of different alkaloids in it (including cocaine.) Usually, the leaves are used in a form of a chew or tea (“mate de coca”.) When chewed, they produce pleasurable numbness in mouth and have a pleasant pungent taste; sometimes they are chewed with lime to increase the release of active ingredients from the leaf.
  Bolivian laws permit to cultivate 29,640 acres of coca plants every year, and now the President Evo Morales is planning to allow farmers to grow small coca plants for private use. Every field can be as big as 130×130 feet.
  Bolivia takes a third place in cultivation coca plants in the world. First and second places go to Colombia and Peru respectfully.
  Coca leaf is the key ingredient of cocaine. Increasing coca cultivation may increase cocaine trafficking in the country. In the past year 26.6 tons of cocaine were confiscated and sixteen drug laboratories were destroyed in Bolivia. Evo Morales, being a leader of a coca growers association, is also concerned about local authorities cracking down on large-scale cocaine trafficking, but feels that this correction to the law will not effect the potential capacity of cocaine production in the country.

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