Renata Giraldi Reporter Agência Brasil

Brasília – The president of Bolívia, Evo Morales, has once again come out in defense of the legalization of small coca plantations. The president says that the cultivation of coca within legal limits is a means to combat illegal coca plantations. “The best way to avoid international criminalization of coca is to halt the spread of illegal coca crops”, he declared.

In Bolivia, the indigenous population chews coca leaves. It is both traditional and cultural. According to Bolivian Indians, chewing coca leaves is good for healthy bodily balance and for reducing the effects of high altitude.

Morales explains that Bolivian law permits growing coca in areas no larger than 1,600 square meters.

“Anyone who does not respect the law will be punished. People who break the law are enemies of legalized coca,” said the president.

Bolivian organizations in favor of legalized coca growing (Morales himself was a union leader of coca growers before he became president) have recently been pressuring the Morales government to counteract the movement to make growing coca an international crime.

At the heart of the dispute is the fact that coca leaves can also be made into cocaine. The United States has expended enormous effort to deal with the problem by destroying coca plantations in South America. Morales and the Bolivians believe they have an alternative solution.

Allen Bennett – translator/editor The News in English – content modified

Link - Na Bolívia, Morales reitera defesa por plantio legal da folha de coca