Cocaine+Production+&+Sale+in+Bolivia

Cocaine production in Bolivia is often overlooked due to the more infamous Columbia. Suprisingly Bolivia has the 3rd highest cocaine production(after Columbia & Peru) in the world! Over the last few years crime rates have skyrocketed, and the drug war continues. Even more suprising, the president of Bolivia, Evo morales, supports legalization of the coca plant. (Evo Morales eats a coca leaf in front of delegates at UN summit to underline his demand that the raw ingredient used to make cocaine be removed from the United Nation's list of prohibited drugs.)

Bolivia's government is reliant on US aid and vulnerable to US dictates, so they must uphold a war against coco producers.Coca Eradication
 * He is backed by:**
 * 1,ooo of militant coca farmer.
 * the indigenous peoples who use for traditional/religious reasonsCoca Leaf Uses
 * The poor who benefit from the growth and profits of coca through labor
 * Not supported by**:
 * Environmentalists
 * Countries where the drug is exported.
 * United States pressure bolivia to avoid expanding coca leaf production (slashed funding)

HISTORY: The Incas believed the Sun god ordered the Goddess of the Moon to plant the coca leaf so that his people could stave off hunger and work more easily.So, the coca leaf is seen as a gift from the Gods and become a staple in indigeonous Bolivian Culture.

Interview with a Bolivian Native


 * By: JAZMYNN HILL**