Posted on 03/10/2017 10:07:35 PM PST by Brad from Tennessee
On Wednesday, President Evo Morales, a former coca grower, signed the bill into law allowing farmers to plant up to 54,000 acres in coca — up from 29,000 under the previous legislation.
Bolivia is the world’s third largest cocaine producer after Colombia and Peru.
Once the new law goes in effect, Morales’ government has said it wants to “industrialize” the added production, but analysts and critics fear it will be diverted to cocaine production.
Opposition lawmakers are planning to sue to block the law, calling it unconstitutional because it breaches international treaties. They said it would turn Bolivia into a free-for-all for drug dealers.
“The new law will probably lead to increased drug trafficking,” said Omar Barrientos, a lawyer who was involved in drafting the existing 1998 legislation, which had the backing of the U.S.
Eliminating restrictions on coca production has been a long-standing goal for Bolivia's coca growers, who were organized into a powerful union by President Morales and became his core constituency. But the law never materialized due to infighting among the different unions. . .
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Can’t believe that midget is still in charge...of one Capitol
Unless they start adding it to Coca Cola again, I believe cocas “industrial use” is pretty much for making cocaine.
Let’s carpet bomb them.
How about if Americans just stop consuming country cocaine?
Without consumption, there would be no market and no production.
Remember when we sprayed Parquait weed killer on them in the 1970s?
Didn’t stop them.
Sorry, the spelling is “Mallinckrodt”.
CC
Wow, I honestly did not know that coca plant is still used to make Coca Cola.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stepan_Company
Yep, and a lot of it.
CC
Bolivians must think the US economy is going to pick up. Or, at least that a lot of US cash will be coming back from offshore. Otherwise all they’ll manage to do is to drive the price down unless this is aimed at a market somewhere other than in the US.
It’s used by the majority of the indigenous population on a daily basis. You can also find it free of charge at every single hotel in Bolivia in the form of tea. The tea is not nearly as effective as chewing coca leaf and bicarbonate.When I was in Bolivia I first tried the tea and then the leaves which work well at alleviating altitude sickness and giving enough energy to do physical activity. (also took prescribed altitude sickness medicine so I could sleep okay from day 1)
Bolivia’s a beautiful country and is relatively inexpensive. There’s a lot of outdoors adventures and not nearly as full of tourists as Peru. Unfortunately, Bolivia still has the visa on arrival reciprocity fee (same fee USA charges their citizens, $140 for 10 year visa) but after that it’s an inexpensive holiday. I’d recommend it but do not stay in La Paz except on the night before for the morning flight out. La Paz is a topographical bowl which leads to lingering pollution. I only did the high altitude areas but want to return at some point to do the lowlands which are supposed to be great as well (and where the opposition to the President is, lowlands is the richer area).
Why not introduce a a bug that will eat the plant and then die off?
Honestly, anyone over 60 would benefit from a cup of coca tea after breakfast and lunch. I did that the entire time I was in Peru and it really helped. Wish we could get coca tea here.........but the nanny state has to protect us
Because there is too much danger of said bug mutating into something that attacks other things (like humans).
Fortunately, the intelligent people needed to design these genetically-engineered, cocaine-eating mutant bugs already understand this.
More coca puffs ?
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