Highlights
– Bolivian government to invest in legal coca markets
– Illegal production of cocaine spreading throughout the region
– New investment unlikely to impact illicit coca manufacturing
During a February 2008 trip to Chapare, Bolivian President Evo Morales announced a new plan to invest US$300,000 in the development of legal markets for the traditionally grown coca plant. This investment is part of a larger government plan to promote the “industrialization” of coca into legal products, rather than its diversion into illegal cocaine production. Morales stated that he hopes legitimate uses of coca will keep the crop from being used solely for illegal purposes. He also intends to increase the legal limit of coca production from 30,000 acres to 49,000 acres.
Coca – The Good and the Bad
Coca, in its natural form, is revered by indigenous groups in Bolivia and is a central part of traditional practices. The plant can be used for teas or chewed as a mild stimulant for energy. However, contention arises over the plants other use: the primary ingredient in cocaine. Coca, after chemical processing, is the basis for the narcotic drug cocaine.
International regulation and standards against the processing of coca into cocaine have done little to stem its illegal use. The United Nations (UN) hosted a convention on narcotic drugs in 1961, which classified the leaf alongside cocaine, heroin and opium as a Schedule I narcotic. The convention also declared that traditional coca-chewing should be globally “abolished” by 1987. That provision has not been enforced, as coca-chewing remains common in Bolivia. In March 2008, the International Narcotics Control Board, tasked with enforcing the 1961 treaty, declined criticizing Bolivia for not upholding the convention’s standards.
Illegal Coca Production Spreads
On March 17, 2008, Brazilian officials announced the discovery of four plantations of coca being illegally grown in the Amazon jungle. First noticed on satellite images, the area consisted of over 250 acres of coca being grown in Brazil near the border of Peru and Colombia, two countries repeatedly labeled as “drug majors” by the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), countries that are known producers or transit points for illicit drugs. Discovered along with the acres of plants, was a fully equipped lab set to process the coca into cocaine. As it was previously believed that the humid jungle climate would not support the growth of coca, leading officials believe that growers may be using a genetically modified or adaptation of the Bolivian leaf.
As this was the first discovery of this nature in Brazil, officials stressed the need to crackdown on production before it develops into a larger smuggling problem, or even a deforestation problem in the jungle. Additionally in an effort to stem its production, Brazilian security forces will likely continue searches for other plantations in the area in the near-term.
Coca’s Future
Cocaine producers could potentially exploit President Morales’ plan in Bolivia. The plan calls for the increasing of acres dedicated to coca production, but it will likely be difficult to ensure that the crops are in fact being translated into legal finished products. As seen with the recent discovery in Brazil, security officials already have difficulty regulating land use.
Since Morales has promised only a relatively small sum of US$300,000, it is likely that Morales’ investment pledge is more rhetoric than substantive; he was once a leader of a coca production federation and is likely using investment plans as means to garner support from the indigenous people. While helping to support a small amount of coca growers, it is unlikely such a small pledge will address the true problems of cocaine production.
