politic 02

portuguese version:

The right of production and consumption to coca

(by Sakamoto)

Brasilia - More than 3 thousand years, the Andean peoples have the mask coca leaf, or to mitigate the effects of altitude, reduce the fatigue and other medical purposes. To some extent, is equivalent to the cafe, which serves as a stimulating or refreshing in the world. In its natural form, is not the effects of cocaine, obtained through a chemical process of refining.

I can say that from experience as they have of chewing coca leaves in Bolivia. Much more than take a healthy dose of whiskey, a glass of beer or smoke a cigarette and other drugs considered legal, but that damage to the body and leave rich multinationals. Besides destroying communities, exploit workers and the environment by reaching impacts on their non-controlled proutivas chains.

Even a symbol representing the culture of a people, the cultivation of coca is condemned by the policy for the U.S. to combat drugs, which has pressed for the removal of crops in South America s if this solve the problem of demand for drugs by United States ...

Reunion in the Narcotics Commission of the United Nations in Vienna today, the Bolivian President Evo Morales from coca leaf chewed in front of ministers from over 50 countries to defend the plant is removed from the list of prohibited narcotics, organized by an international convention 1961. You hope that the world has moved from there to here.

Morales, coca growers leader who is also called the fight against cocaine and refuted peche a drug dealer because of the producers of this plant. "This is a leaf of coca is not cocaine. It is possible that the list of narcotic UN, "he said. Was applauded.

Almost impossible to think the U.S. government, even under an administration as the most progressive of Barack Obama, change its policy of violent and ineffective war on drugs. Or let some change occurs in international conventions on the subject. When you can comfortably play the blame on an external enemy for an internal problem, why change?

Meanwhile, even considered a madman by the elites of the neighboring countries, he fulfilled a historical role to act to overthrow stigma against his people. I hope that his gesture bother many people.