Although this is not the principle that has necessarily been applied to the decisions of Mexican or Colombian courts, in the various cases examined by those courts; The young girl Grace Elizalde, who was a pioneer in the sale of products containing cannabidiol, a marijuana derivative, or the decisions of the Colombian constitutionality on a reform aimed at punishing again the so-called personal dose, has resorted to the mandatory right to set limits on the punitive effect of the use of plants or substances derived from them. As described by various authors, the persecution of the coca leaf extends to the Spanish conquest, which had a two-sided position with the plant, on the one hand by the Church, whose use is anathematized because it is the talisman of the devil under penalty of excommunication, while the conqueror appropriates his markets in the vast spheres of influence of the Inca Empire. that have reached present-day Colombian territory (Child, 1986). And in general, today there has been widespread persecution of coca, in a triad of religious, racial superiority and drug motives. (Henman, 1981, pp. 14-40) Slow Food awarded the prize to the K`uychiwasi Foundation [Cusco, Peru] « for the commitment and energy devoted to reviving the food consumption of the coca leaf, ancestral element of the culture and symbolism of the Andean population. Find a modern way to consume this plant and engage the weakest elements of the community in their productive activity, thus offering them an economic income and an opportunity for cultural integration at the same time. For laying the foundations for an alternative commercial activity to drug trafficking: a small example that can be imitated for the sake of culture and health. » · Other legitimate and legal uses of coca would mitigate the environmental damage caused by the use of pesticides and the dumping of precursor chemicals on land and water sources during illicit coca cultivation for illicit purposes by reducing the number of illegal hectares. · The legal framework for the use of coca in accordance with local practices is part of the cooperation programmes provided for in the 1988 United Nations Convention (3. a), « .

Parties may cooperate to increase the effectiveness of eradication efforts. Such cooperation may include, where appropriate, support for integrated rural development aimed at providing economically viable alternatives to illegal crops. Given the above considerations, many critics of the eradication program believe that the fundamental goal of the U.S. government is to limit the revenue stream of the Marxist rebel movement FARC, which was funded by the illegal cocaine trade before it was demobilized with the Colombian government in 2017, and not necessarily to combat drugs « per se. » Few, if any, of these critics have anything to say about illicit trade, but point out that poor farmers suffer from efforts to combat it under current eradication policies, while chemical companies in North America and Europe, which supply the chemicals needed to manufacture cocaine, are suffering from efforts to combat it. And the banks, which launder billions of dollars every year, continue to profit from this trade. The initiative for the production and marketing of the coca leaf was born in Colombia in 1997 by the indigenous FABIOLA PIÑACUE ACHICUÉ, from the Calderas reserve in Cauca, then a university student in the city of Bogotá, who decided to restore the good reputation of the coca leaf and promote its industrialization. He turned to daily use as a food and medicinal plant that he had always known in his community. Official estimates of Peruvian cultivation for 2005 are not yet known, but a State Department report suggests that coca cultivation has increased in Peru. The statistical immutability of the area cultivated in 2004 calls into question official predictions of a strong influence on the price of the drug and its purity according to WOLA.

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has vowed to continue fumigating U.S.-funded coca plants. [6] [7] One of the traditional uses of coca is in aromatics. Currently, in Cauca, the production and marketing of aromatic coca leaves for national and foreign countries has begun, on the basis of the right to legal traditional use of the plant, which is enshrined in several international and national standards in force in Colombia. This right is also mentioned in the explanatory memorandum to this Coca Act. Colombia is the world`s largest producer of coca leaves. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) recorded an all-time high of 171,000 hectares of coca cultivation in 2017. Since then, it has decreased: 169,000 hectares in 2018 and 154,000 hectares in 2019. But wouldn`t there be a risk of increasing cocaine addiction if the use of the leaf is encouraged? Evidence suggests that this is not the case. On the one hand, in Peru and Bolivia, where much more leaves are consumed and there is a legal market, the rate of cocaine use is lower than in Colombia, the extent of illegal cultivation is lower and more stable, and leaf prices are higher (which is a bonus of stability, of opportunity and respect for our Andean neighbours). On the other hand, pharmacological evidence shows that the effects of the coca leaf differ radically, both quantitatively and qualitatively, from those of isolated alkaloids, either in hydrochloride (the white powder) or cocaine sulfates (those of bazuco).

For example, when the leaf is consumed without chemical transformation, the maximum amount of cocaine in the blood is 50 times lower than from inhalation or smoking, isolated alkaloids, because they are easier to absorb, are much more concentrated, and lack the complexity of phytochemicals and nutrients that modulate the rate of absorption and metabolic effects throughout the leaf. This could explain why studies on this plant have revealed no risks associated with the use of coca leaves – no addiction, no harm to health. Archaeological evidence shows us that the profitable use of coca in our region has a long history. The history of this plant in South America dates back at least 8,000 years, and its cultivation and use seem to have accompanied the emergence of the first Andean civilizations. Recent botanical studies confirm these theories, as they suggest that the original crops valued coca so much that they initiated its domestication on at least two different occasions and from different ancestors. There is evidence that Colombian coca, increasingly threatened by drug trafficking, may be as old as its sister, Peruvian and Bolivian coca. In addition to the most well-known types of coca, our scientific article also examines their botanical relatives, which are used by traditional medicines from Brazil, Madagascar and Africa. Interestingly, some of these plants are also used as natural stimulants and have been identified as anticancer agents, antibiotics and fungicides, among others. The ignored treasures of the coca leaf In general, the whole coca family appreciates great opportunities for medicine, nutrition and agriculture, and coca itself is no exception. Traditional indigenous medicine has always attributed many beneficial functions to coca and, despite the difficulties of conducting studies, a growing body of scientific evidence seems to confirm many of these beliefs. In particular, available studies show that coca in its natural state stimulates lipid metabolism.

This mechanism creates a greater availability of energy in the body, which boosts physical performance, relief from altitude sickness, temporary reduction of hunger and well-being of coca users. We also found that there is a consensus in studies identifying the high nutrient density of this plant.