•  united nations
• Tuesday, June 28, 2011
• Inter Press Service

Bolivia is close to withdrawing from the 1961 U.N. Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs before July 1. The convention prohibits the production of coca. But chewing coca leaf is an age-old tradition of indigenous people in Andean states.

'We are withdrawing from the convention (on Narcotic Drugs of 1961), so that on the very same day… we re-accede but with our reservation on coca leaf chewing,' Pablo Solon, Permanent Representative of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, told journalists Friday.

At the present time, under the framework of the Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, the production and chewing of coca leaf is prohibited and penalised. According to the Convention, the practice of chewing coca leaf should be phased out within 25 years, which are now passed by.

But the indigenous tradition of chewing coca leaf is even protected under Bolivian’s state constitution. The Bolivian House of Representatives has now approved a bill to pull out of the convention in order to enter a reservation to the provision on coca leaf chewing.

But the senate still needs to approve the decision. If they adopt it, the denouncement would enter into force on 1 January 2012.

The Secretary-General then would make Bolivia’s reservation known to the States parties to the Convention. Bolivia’s re-accession is approved, if, within 12 months, which means until January 2013, less than one third of the countries, or 63, objected to the reservation.

In March 2009, President Evo Morales Ayma has already tabled an amendment to the convention. After two years of consultations 'We received communications from 17 states objecting to Bolivia’s amendment,' Solon said, adding, 'It was not possible for Bolivia’s amendment to pass.'

According to him, the main argument brought forward by the objecting states was not, that they had objections to the habit of chewing coca leaf. But they were afraid the amendment would 'jeopardise the integrity of the 1961-convention.'

Solon mentioned the Report of the Global Commission on Drug Policy 2011, which called exactly this process of trying to 'protect the integrity of the Conventions' as 'drug control imperialism'.

According to the report, 'successive studies have shown that the indigenous practice of coca leaf chewing is associated with none of the harms of international cocaine markets…many of the rich 'cocaine consumer' countries (led by the U.S.) have formerly objected to the amendment.'

Solon called the situation a 'deadlock: 'You do not wish us to amend the convention, but at the same time you acknowledge that chewing coca leaf is not detrimental to health and it is a natural, indigenous practice, that cannot be prohibited.'

© Inter Press Service (2011) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service

Where next?

Advertisement