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Morales Wants Coca Off
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Morales Wants
Coca Off UN Drug List
Vienna, Austria - Bolivian President Evo
Morales on Wednesday called for removal from
the UN Convention on Narcotic Drugs of the
coca leaf, which he said has nutritional and
medicinal values.
Addressing the 52nd session of the UN
Commission on Narcotic Drugs, the Bolivian
president denied the arguments of the 1961
Convention's articles that chewing the coca
leaf affects health and productive
performance.
Morales explained that, as a coca grower and
union leader, he consumed the leaf for some
years and currently works over ten hours and
is not malnourished.
He also affirmed chewing the leaf causes no
mental or addiction disorders, much less
immoral behavior.
Regarding that, Morales respectfully called
upon the members of the international
organization to eliminate subsections 1c and
2e of the Convention's article 49.
The latter called in 1961 for "abolition of
coca leaf chewing within twenty-five years
from the coming into force of this
Convention."
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