Pubdate: Wed, 04 Jan 2006 Source: Vermont Guardian (VT) Copyright: 2006 Vermont Guardian Contact: http://www.vermontguardian.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3698 Author: Benjamin Dangl, Special to the Vermont Guardian Note: Benjamin Dangl is the editor of www.TowardFreedom.com , a progressive perspective on world events. Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Evo+Morales Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/Bolivia Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) BOLIVIA'S TRIAL BY FIRE Washington and Morales Tangle Over the Coca Leaf and the Drug Trade After winning a landslide election victory on Dec. 18, Bolivian President-elect Evo Morales announced plans to fully legalize the production of coca leaves and change the rules of the U.S.-led war on drugs in his country. White House officials are wary of any deviation from its anti-narcotics plan in Latin America, a strategy they claim has been successful. However, U.S. government statistics and reports from analysts in Bolivia tell a different story. A recent report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office explains that, "While the U.S. has poured 6 billion dollars into the drug war in the Andes over the past five years the number of drug users in the U.S. has remained roughly constant." In an interview on National Public Radio, Nicholas Burns, the State Department's undersecretary for political affairs, said the administration hopes "that the new government of Evo Morales in Bolivia does not change course, does not somehow assert that it's fine to grow coca and fine to sell it." For centuries, coca has been used in the Andean region for medicinal purposes; it relieves hunger, sickness and fatigue. It's also an ingredient in Coca-Cola, cough syrups, wines, chewing gum, and diet pills. The U.S. Embassy's website for Bolivia suggests chewing coca leaves to alleviate altitude sickness. Georg Ann Potter worked from 1999 to 2002 as an advisor to Morales, and since then has been the main advisor to the Coordination of the Six Women Federations of the Chapare. Potter explained that although Morales plans to continue a hard line approach against the drug trade, the current policies of the U.S. war on drugs need to change. "One billion dollars has been spent [on alternative crop development] over the last 20 years and there is little to show for it," she said. "Forced eradication resulted in many dead, more wounded, armed forces thieving and raping." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake