Pubdate: Thu, 22 Sep 2005 Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA) Copyright: 2005 San Jose Mercury News Contact: http://www.mercurynews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/390 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization) Bolivia INDIAN CANDIDATE BACKS LEGALIZING COCA CROP Indian leader Evo Morales said he would reject Washington's policy of eradicating much of Bolivia's coca crop if elected president and pledged he would work to legalize the leaf used to make cocaine. Morales, a front-runner in this Andean nation's Dec. 4 election, is an Aymara Indian who led protests that helped oust President Carlos Mesa in June and led to the calling of the December vote. He rose to power 10 years ago as the leader of the coca growers of the Chapare region, where U.S.-backed eradication efforts are focused. During a campaign stop in the city of Sucre late Tuesday, Morales said the U.S. government's policies have the sole objective of "eliminating coca" and tormenting the people who grow coca. Morales said he would oppose coca-eradication efforts if president, but said he would still fight cocaine production. "There won't be zero coca, but there will be zero drug trafficking," Morales said. - --- MAP posted-by: Elizabeth Wehrman