Coca Leaf
Topic category
Drugs and Democracy
The coca leaf has been chewed and brewed for tea for centuries in the Andean region – and does not cause any harm and is probably beneficial to human health. Yet the leaf is treated as if it is comparable to cocaine or heroin. The inclusion of the coca leaf in the list of narcotic drugs raises questions about the logic behind the current system of classification under the UN conventions. TNI believes we can find a more culturally sensitive approach to plants with psychoactive or mildly stimulant properties, and should distinguish more between problematic, recreational and traditional uses of psychoactive substances.
Latest
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Change course: Regulate the drug market to tackle organized crime
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New Tactics from a divided MAS
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Featured
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Conflicted over Coca Issue #4: Andean-Amazonian Indigenous Peoples see promise and peril in lifting coca ban
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Descheduling Coca: Challenges and Outcome Scenarios of the WHO Review
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Coca Chronicles Issue #3 A Conversation on Coca with Wade Davis
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Coca leaf: Myths and Reality : A beginner's guide to Coca
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Key documents
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Coca leaf: Myths and Reality A beginner's guide to Coca
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Coca Myths
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Fact Sheet: Coca leaf and the UN Drugs Conventions
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Experts
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Martin Jelsma Programme Director Drugs & Democracy
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Pien Metaal Senior Project Officer
