opensociety foundations coca and war on drugs

A man chews on coca leaves at a street fair in El Alto, near La Paz, Bolivia.

This week, Carlos Villalon @villalonsantamaria shares work about the traditional use and cultivation of the coca leaf in the Amazonian and Andean regions of South America. Part of his 16-year-long project and upcoming book "Coca: The Lost War/Coca: La Guerra Perdida," about the sacred coca plant, cocaine, and the failed war on drugs.

The cultivation of coca plants is a vital source of economic and physical security for communities throughout the Andes region. It can also be irreversibly entwined with longstanding cultural and religious practices. To many indigenous people throughout the region, the coca leaf is sacred. Yet because of the “war on drugs,” governments in the region have repeatedly attempted to “eradicate” coca crops—regardless of the consequences for indigenous people. This grave breach of fundamental human rights is just one more reason why governments all over the world must rethink their approach to drug control.

See link in bio to learn more.
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