© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WECS · WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM · WVOF
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Why Bolivia and Colombia want coca leaf, cocaine's main ingredient, legalized

LEILA FADEL, BYLINE: Two of the world's biggest cocaine suppliers are about to call for legalization of the main ingredient in cocaine, the coca leaf. Bolivia and Colombia are expected to make that pitch today at a U.N. meeting in Europe. NPR's Carrie Kahn reports.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE: Every Jan. 11, Bolivia celebrates Acullico, coca leaf day.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

KAHN: On the government's Facebook page, this year's celebration highlighted leaf farmers and Indigenous leaders, many holding signs reading, coca is not cocaine and praising its uses and market potential. John Walsh, a drug policy expert at the Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group WOLA, agrees.

JOHN WALSH: Coca should not be in the same list as cocaine.

KAHN: The list contains prohibited substances recognized by the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs and controlled worldwide. Walsh says, apart from its illicit use to make cocaine, coca has healthy uses in teas and medicines.

WALSH: Also related to - identified with culture and cultural rights and Indigenous rights. And it's a denial of those rights and cultures to classify it as something that needs to be abolished.

KAHN: Colombia and Bolivia must first ask the U.N.'s World Health Organization to study coca's nonnarcotic benefits - a lengthy process. Colombia's leftist president, Gustavo Petro, backs the campaign. He's a staunch opponent of the U.S.-backed war on drugs and often talks about its harm on poor coca farmers, like in this speech to the U.N. General Assembly last year.

(SOUNDBITE OF SPEECH)

PRESIDENT GUSTAVO PETRO: (Speaking Spanish).

KAHN: He decried the demonization of subsistence coca farmers who, he claims, have few crop options. Both Bolivia and Colombia, however, have said little about what they plan to propose this week, disappointing some activists. Neither government returned NPR's calls requesting comment. Ana Maria Rueda of the Peace Ideas Foundation in Bogota says expectations have been high to see Petro's rhetoric and action at the high-profile international drug forum.

ANA MARIA RUEDA: So he will miss the opportunity to set up the stage, to be clear on his position. He will have others, but this was the first.

KAHN: Coca cultivation reached record highs last year. A senior State Department official told NPR that, quote, "the U.S. would have concerns about any action at the U.N. that might facilitate increased production and trafficking of cocaine."

Carrie Kahn, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Carrie Kahn is NPR's International Correspondent based in Mexico City, Mexico. She covers Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America. Kahn's reports can be heard on NPR's award-winning news programs including All Things Considered, Morning Edition and Weekend Edition, and on NPR.org.

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.