Major victory for President Morales: UN accepts “coca leaf chewing” in Bolivia

Monday, January 14th 2013 - 06:38 UTC

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Bolivia will again belong to the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs after its bid to rejoin with a reservation that it does not accept the treaty’s requirement that “coca leaf chewing must be banned” was successful Friday. Opponents needed one-third of the 184 signatory countries to object, but fell far, far short despite objections by the US and the International Narcotics Control Board. Read full article

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Room101
Well, we'll see a lot of openly happy vacant faces among the General Assembly now that it is legal...
Jan 14th, 2013 - 11:23 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Condorito
The legalization of the coca leaf for traditional consumption is long overdue.
I don't say it often...well done Evo.
Jan 14th, 2013 - 01:31 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Lama Mada
A major Hoax too. Coca chewing was already accepted back in more than 30 years ago by the work of Victor Paz Estensoro.

Morales is trying to sell this as a big victory and also as a “recognition” of excedent coca leaf production. Which it is not.
Jan 14th, 2013 - 05:00 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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reality check
If it is their culture, who are we to judge, as long as they do not turn the filthy stuff into white powder and flood our streets with it. I have no problem.
Jan 14th, 2013 - 09:35 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Nostrolldamus the 8th
What a shock, the USA and UK not giving a fuck about respecting other cultures' history and traditions. What a plague those two nations are to the world's cultural and moral integrity.
Jan 15th, 2013 - 12:47 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Fbear
It seems to me that coca tea is also offered to arriving guests at Bolivian and Peruvian hotels that are at altitudes which make breathing diffficult. It is a nice custom. Perhaps coca chewing also us a means to help natives adjust to the lower oxygen levels in thei home areas. Instead of trying to push the rest of the world around for its convenience and to try to solve its drug problems, the US should start at home to clean up its cultural act and eliminate the need people feel to get high to cope with the reality of their lives there, made more miserable daily by the greed of corporations and the indifference of their lackeys in Washington to average Americans and their weakening ability to convert their nightmare into the American dream..
Jan 15th, 2013 - 12:03 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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