Bolivia discusses start of coca sales to Ecuador

[Judi Lynn]

Bolivia discusses start of coca sales to Ecuador
09:55 10.04.2014

The Bolivian Government is negotiating with the Government of Ecuador about an upcoming launch of sales of coca leaves for medical and ritual purposes, RIA Novosti reported referring to La Segunda edition.

Deputy Minister of Coca and Integral Development of Bolivia Gumersindo Pucho said that working groups of the two countries currently determine the frequency of delivery and quality of the goods.

In summer 2013, the Bolivian Government announced the launch of the industrial production of medicines from coca leaves. Annually, approximately 75 thousand tons of coca leaves are used to produce various medicinal tinctures.

Bolivia is the world's third largest supplier of coca leaves. According to the UN, the first place is after Peru, the second – Columbia. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime has counted in August 2013 25.3 thousand hectares of coca plantations in Bolivia.

More:
http://www.akipress.com/news:539208/

[newfie11]

1. Interesting, I didn't realize sale of coca leaves were illegal in Ecuador

I've seen where chewing them helps with high altitude sickness.

[pipoman]

2. And rheumatis' I hear...

[delrem]

3. It seems to me that a major difference between coca, tobacco, coffea,

is that the active ingredient in coca is able to be concentrated in so many ways and with such major results in the immediate happiness line (the purely utilitarian perspective). Even marijuana buds don't come close to coca in that respect.

Because of where and how I live I've seen plenty of smallest-time crack dealers sitting on the sidewalks, in nicely hidden and yet visible to all interested places, including to the police, selling hits on their short pipes to people whose only pleasure that is. Criminalization certainly hasn't stopped this, or even put a dent in it. In fact many argue that criminalization makes a problem that is certain to exist (because of how humans are wired) worse, by excommunicating it. By turning people most in need into criminals who no longer have a connection to "civilization" and who are in effect branded for elimination.

In contrast, in the same areas that I speak of are now well-established "needle exchange" centres where folk "on the streets" who use needles can get them. What are they, $0.15 each? $0.05 each when bought in such bulk? In any event it's a tiny price to pay in order to decrease the incidence of blood-born disease of the kind that are *inevitable* when people use dirty needles, esp. those passed around in an environment where needles are difficult to get, where even asking for them sends up an alert. Furthermore, it gives those people who are using the exchange a contact with professional staff, who treat them as human beings.

I don't think such a program would work in an environment where there wasn't truly universal single-payer health care guaranteed to all.

(I flew off on a tangent! )