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Scientific distinctions between coca and cocaine support policy reform

Latin America and the Caribbean

This presentation by Dr. Dawson White was delivered at the 48th Meeting of the WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD). The meeting reviewed the findings of the WHO Critical Review of the Coca Leaf and invited public comment on the health effects of coca. Based on this review, the ECDD will issue recommendations on whether to change the coca leaf’s Schedule I status under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (1961).

Video by

Dawson White

Overview

The Issue

The conflation of coca with cocaine has led to serious social, environmental, and public-health harms. The illicit cocaine economy drives deforestation, violence, and rural displacement—showing the need for new, evidence-based approaches to coca regulation.

Scientific and Policy Context

Our recent article in Science calls on the World Health Organization to recommend descheduling coca—that is, removing it from the UN’s list of Schedule I narcotic drugs. This recommendation aligns with the WHO Critical Review, which finds that coca is a safe, culturally important plant. The article and this presentation are available in more detail through Harvard DASH.

What Is Coca?

Coca is an ancient crop, domesticated independently several times over at least 9,000 years. Four main cultivated varieties are grown across the Andes and Amazon, each with unique cultural and ecological significance. Coca leaves are chewed, brewed, and used medicinally for their nutritional and therapeutic properties.

Cultural Importance

Across more than a hundred Indigenous and mixed-Indigenous cultures (link), coca is sacred—integral to ceremonies, collective labor, and systems of reciprocity. Coca chewing connects generations, strengthens communities, and supports ecological stewardship. Yet criminalization has stigmatized these practices and the peoples who maintain them.

Health and Safety

The WHO review confirms that traditional coca use is safe:

  • Low acute toxicity
  • No evidence of dependence or fatalities
  • Documented antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and metabolic benefits

Coca leaves contain 0.2–0.8 % cocaine alkaloid by dry weight—absorbed slowly and moderated by dozens of other naturally occurring compounds.

Policy Implications

Cocaine production continues to reach record levels under prohibition. Over 90 % of coca leaf is diverted to illicit use precisely because legal avenues are restricted. Descheduling coca could enable regulated, community-governed markets that channel production toward lawful, sustainable, and traceable uses—reducing deforestation, pollution, and violence.

Community Perspectives

A recent statement—Pronunciamiento de los Productores y Consumidores Tradicionales de Hoja de Coca ante la OMS(link)—urges the WHO to:

  • Remove coca from Schedule I of the 1961 Convention
  • Recognize its traditional and medicinal uses
  • Distinguish coca from cocaine
  • Support rights-based public-health and research policies

Recommendation

We advocate aligning international drug policy with scientific evidence, human rights, and Indigenous perspectives by descheduling the coca leaf. This reform would support research, innovation, and community-led development in line with UNDRIP, ILO 169, and the Nagoya Protocol.

Conclusion

Descheduling coca would uphold Indigenous rights, enable sustainable development, and realign international policy with science, equity, and cultural respect.

Latin America and the Caribbean