Bolivia and Peru grow more coca, says US

[Judi Lynn]

Bolivia and Peru grow more coca, says US
01 Mar 2006 20:13:39 GMT

Source: Reuters

By Sue Pleming

WASHINGTON, March 1 (Reuters) - Increased political clout of coca growers in Bolivia and Peru has farmers growing more coca in a trend that is causing concern in Washington, the U.S. State Department said in a report on Wednesday.

The influence of coca growing associations, known as cocaleros, was greatest in Bolivia, where coca association founder and farmer Evo Morales won the presidency in December.

"We are concerned about the inability thus far of Bolivia's new president to articulate whether or not he will allow coca eradication and U.S. counter-narcotics assistance to continue," said Anne Patterson, assistant secretary of state for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement.

The department's annual International Narcotics Control Strategy Report provides the basis for the U.S. government to decide later this year which countries belong on the U.S. list of major drug-trafficking and drug-producing states.
(snip/...)

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N01361219.htm

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In the Name of the War on Terror: Bolivian Human Rights Leader Barred from Entering the U.S.
Written by Benjamin Dangl
Monday, 27 February 2006



Leonida Zurita Vargas, a Bolivian coca farmer organizer and alternate Senator, was planning to be in the US right now as part of a three week speaking tour on Bolivian social movements and human rights. This tour would take her to Vermont, Harvard, Stanford and Washington DC. However, upon checking in at the airport in Santa Cruz, Bolivia on February 20th to fly to the US, she was informed her ten year visa had been revoked because of alleged links to terrorist activity.

"I said if I was a terrorist then I should be in jail," Zurita told reporters. She obtained this visa in 1998 and had used it to travel to the US on four previous speaking tours.

A letter from the US Embassy in Bolivia explained her visa was revoked in May, 2004 due to a section of the USA-PATRIOT Act which bars anyone from entering the US that poses a security threat or has participated in or incited terrorist activity.

Her background, however, tells the story of someone who has fought for human rights and peace in her country for years. This mother of two young sons is one of the leading women politicians in Bolivia. She came into the political realm, like President Evo Morales, through her work in coca farmer unions in the Chapare, a coca producing region in Bolivia where the US sponsored war on drugs has resulted in forced eradication of crops sold for traditional use and violence against poor farmers. Though coca leaves are used to produce cocaine, for centuries the leaves have been utilized as a mild stimulant and medicine to combat altitude sickness and fatigue. A large market in Bolivia makes coca farming a legal, viable occupation.
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http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/216/1/

[Soloflecks]

1. Oh, please,

President Morales, please tell them to STFU and that no, under no circumstances are they to interfere in your country's business! Surely we can't invade every freakin' country that disagrees with our draconian policies.

[400Years]

2. Well Anne Paterson you've got no business telling Bolivia what to do

they can grow whatever they want, it's their country you stupid moron.

[Lost-in-FL]

3. If the US would care about securing our borders...

instead of selling ports to the terrorists there was no need to be "SO CONCERNED" with Bolivia and any other nation producing drugs.

[Ecumenist]

4. Well, of course there's the increase in production...

He had to have a situation to rival or surpass the flow of nosecandy that was present in his ronnie raygun's and his sire's presidencies.:eyes: The reason that that idiot is talking about invading is because they're probably nt getting the aggreed upon cut or purity of coke they agreed on.

[TroubleMan]

6. Coca is used for a lot more things than cocaine.

That's the thing. Growing coca more coca doesn't necessarily mean growing more cocaine. The natives use it for tea, and chew the leaves to help with the high altitude.

I'm not disagreeing with your point about the American government and drug dealing. Iran Contra was fully responsible for the crack boom of the 80's, something which is sadly overlooked. However, the coca growers in Bolivia are primarily growing it for things other than cocaine.

[Ecumenist]

7. I know but I have alot of suspicion about this bunch

Especially considering junior's love for the final product of coca refining process. I completely understand the fact that the native people know how to properly use it but this is hte same bunch involved in the disgraceful chapter when there were flights laden with cocaine, while at the same time, seizing the belongings of ordinary people who were caught with the drug.

[happydreams]

5. A must read on CIA complicity in the global drug trade:

"The Politics of Heroin" by Al McCoy. ~1995.