# Bolivia's next president is a coca farmer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 16, 2005, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolivias-next-president-is-a-coca-farmer/335964 "2005-12-16T19:45:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolivias-next-president-is-a-coca-farmer/335964/1 "2005-12-16T19:45:47Z")
Evo Morales, candidate of the Movement Toward Socialism party, is leading in the polls in the December 18 presidential election in Bolivia. [http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000086&sid=aDd\_2jJNqnQ4&refer=latin\_america](http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000086&sid=aDd_2jJNqnQ4&refer=latin_america) Morales is also a leader of the _cocalero_ movement, an association of coca-growing farmers who are resisting the government’s attempts to eradicate coca production. Morales is also making friends with Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, and wants Venezuela’s state-owned oil company to replace the multinationals which formerly worked Bolivia’s natural-gas fields. What does this portend for U.S. relations with Bolivia, and South America generally? And what does it portend for SA’s internal political relations? BTW, rumors are sweeping the region that the U.S. is trying to establish a permanent military base in Paraguay for the express purpose of keeping an eye on Bolivia: [http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/2381/](http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/2381/) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolivias-next-president-is-a-coca-farmer/335964/2 "2005-12-16T19:47:56Z")
Wikipedia article on Morales: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evo\_Morales](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evo_Morales) ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolivias-next-president-is-a-coca-farmer/335964/3 "2005-12-16T20:15:47Z")
Shouldn’t be too bad. The U.S. had a peanut farmer as president once. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolivias-next-president-is-a-coca-farmer/335964/4 "2005-12-16T20:25:01Z")
Better to have a president who farmed coca than one who snorted it. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2005, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolivias-next-president-is-a-coca-farmer/335964/5 "2005-12-17T21:51:53Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > Better to have a president who farmed coca than one who snorted it. Agreed. But I doubt there are many coca farmers who have not sampled their own product occasionally. 😉 This analysis from the _St. Petersburg Times_ portrays tomorrow’s election as a very, very big deal, because of the regional implications – [http://www.sptimes.com/2005/12/17/Worldandnation/As\_Bolivians\_go\_to\_po.shtml:](http://www.sptimes.com/2005/12/17/Worldandnation/As_Bolivians_go_to_po.shtml:) > [@](#): > > . . . At stake is not just the country’s political future, but what some see as a radical anti-American, left-wing resurgence sweeping Latin America. > > As the dominos have fallen one by one, U.S. officials have grown more wide-eyed and alarmed. > > A dozen presidential contests and 13 legislative elections come due in Latin America over the next year. Left-wing candidates stand to win in several countries, including Nicaragua and Mexico. A radical former military officer has also leapt into contention in Peru. > > These all come on the backs of victories in Venezuela, Brazil and Argentina in recent years. > > \ > > A close ally of Cuba’s Fidel Castro and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Morales described his Movement Toward Socialism, or MAS, party as “a nightmare for the United States.” He vows to end free-market policies and legalize the growing of coca, which is part of indigenous culture but also happens to be the main ingredient in the production of cocaine. He also plans to nationalize Bolivia’s natural gas reserves and rewrite the constitution to better reflect the country’s indigenous majority. > > \ > > The son of a tin miner, Morales was born and brought up in the highlands. Four of his six siblings died in infancy and he never finished high school. After the government closed the inefficient state-run tin mines, the Morales family joined the thousands of other poor peasants who turned to growing coca. Coca growers defended their actions by saying the government failed to provide promised funding for alternative agriculture programs. > > As cocaine production grew, the United States began to pressure Bolivia to crack down on coca. That’s when Morales began his political ascent, emerging as a powerful union boss for the coca growers battling the U.S.-backed eradication program. > > He was demonized by U.S. diplomats, who described him as little more than a murderous thug unworthy of public office. Today, his talk of legalizing coca worries U.S. policymakers who have invested billions in the drug war. > > Adding to the explosive political cocktail are Bolivia’s enormous reserves of natural gas. Indigenous leaders vow the potential underground riches will not be “plundered” by foreigners as occurred with the silver mines in colonial times. Protests led to the canceling of contracts that might have shipped the gas to California. > > Most of that gas now goes to Brazil by pipeline, which could result in a moderating influence on Morales’ plans. Brazil, the continent’s largest country by far, consumes a lot of gas. Its president, Ignacio Lula da Silva - a leftist, who has stuck with free market policies - wields a lot of clout. > > Even so, a Morales victory would likely push Bolivia into the **Cuba-Venezuela axis.** Using a tried and tested model, Cuban medical teams will likely provide much needed social assistance, fanning out into indigenous rural areas. (Che Guevara, who died trying to lead a revolution in Bolivia in 1967, will no doubt be smiling from his Cuban tomb.) Chavez will provide a financial lifeline thanks to the cash bonanza Venezuela is enjoying from current oil prices. “Cuba-Venezuela axis” now? ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2005, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolivias-next-president-is-a-coca-farmer/335964/6 "2005-12-17T22:23:01Z")
You realize that growing coca isn’t a big issue in Bolivia or Peru? There is a market for the leaves and not every plant is harvested for cocaine production. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2005, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolivias-next-president-is-a-coca-farmer/335964/7 "2005-12-17T22:37:38Z")
> [@adam yax](#): > > You realize that growing coca isn’t a big issue in Bolivia or Peru? There is a market for the leaves and not every plant is harvested for cocaine production. What do they use the leaves for? I had no idea they were good for anything but chewing (as a drug) or refining into cocaine (as a drug). ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2005, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolivias-next-president-is-a-coca-farmer/335964/8 "2005-12-17T22:58:57Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > What do they use the leaves for? I had no idea they were good for anything but chewing (as a drug) or refining into cocaine (as a drug). Chewing coca leaf for its drug effect is not illegal in Bolivia. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2005, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolivias-next-president-is-a-coca-farmer/335964/9 "2005-12-17T23:21:35Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > What do they use the leaves for? I had no idea they were good for anything but chewing (as a drug) or refining into cocaine (as a drug). It’s also used in flavoring and cosmetics. Heck, Coca Cola alone imports something like 200 tons of the stuff from Bolivia and Peru. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2005, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolivias-next-president-is-a-coca-farmer/335964/10 "2005-12-18T07:43:15Z")
> [@Neurotik](#): > > It’s also used in flavoring and cosmetics. Heck, Coca Cola alone imports something like 200 tons of the stuff from Bolivia and Peru. That’s a joke, right? Coca Cola was originally made with cocaine – when it was a cough syrup – but they cut that out of the recipe almost 100 years ago. Didn’t they? ---
**Author:** ![Cabbage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@Cabbage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabbage)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2005, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolivias-next-president-is-a-coca-farmer/335964/11 "2005-12-18T10:01:13Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > That’s a joke, right? Coca Cola was originally made with cocaine – when it was a cough syrup – but they cut that out of the recipe almost 100 years ago. Didn’t they? They extract the cocaine from the leaves, but Coca Cola still uses the leaves, as **Neurotik** claimed. > [@](#): > > Today, the flavoring is still done with kola nuts and the coca leaf; however, the coca leaves used today are “spent” leaves - the leftovers of the cocaine-extraction process - however, one cannot extract cocaine out of the leaf at a molecular level; therefore, the drink still contains trace amounts of the stimulant. > **[Coca-Cola](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola)** > > Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by The Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton and was bought out by businessman Asa Griggs Candler, whose marketing tactics led Coca-Cola to its dominance of the world soft-drink market throughout the 20th century. The drink's name refers to two of its original ingredients: coca leaves, and kola nuts (a source of ... Or, if you don’t like Wikipedia: > [@](#): > > Coke was originally formulated in 1886 by one John Styth Pemberton, an Atlanta druggist and former Confederate army officer. Among other things it contained ( **and presumably still contains** ) three parts coca leaves to one part cola nut. [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2\_033.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_033.html) I don’t know that it was ever actually marketed as a “cough syrup”, however. From the Straight Dope link: > [@](#): > > Coke, in fact, was promoted as a patent medicine, which would “cure all nervous afflictions–Sick Headache, Neuralgia, Hysteria, Melancholy, Etc…” ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2005, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolivias-next-president-is-a-coca-farmer/335964/12 "2005-12-18T10:34:54Z")
One of my _Big Secrets_ books claims that the Coke company still uses coca leaves to make Coca-Cola, and that Coca-Cola does contain trace amounts of cocaine unless Coke spends gigantic amounts of money to get rid of every last molecule. Which it almost certainly does not. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2005, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolivias-next-president-is-a-coca-farmer/335964/13 "2005-12-18T18:06:27Z")
If there is any party in the world who has proven they can’t make South America a better place, is us. After how poorly all of our mucking around in Latin America turned out, I’m all for anyone who thinks they can do a better job of it without a violent revolution. And why should US drug consumption be Bolivia’s problem? Should Saudi Arabia get on our case because of people smuggling US liquor? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2005, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolivias-next-president-is-a-coca-farmer/335964/14 "2005-12-18T18:15:44Z")
> [@even sven](#): > > And why should US drug consumption be Bolivia’s problem? Should Saudi Arabia get on our case because of people smuggling US liquor? While I agree with your first question (the “problem” is demand, not supply), your second one is a bad analogy. Cocaine is illegal in South American countires, too. And I put quotes around “problem” only because I don’t think drugs like cocaine should be illegal for consenting adults. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2005, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolivias-next-president-is-a-coca-farmer/335964/15 "2005-12-18T19:48:40Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > One of my _Big Secrets_ books claims that the Coke company still uses coca leaves to make Coca-Cola, and that Coca-Cola does contain trace amounts of cocaine unless Coke spends gigantic amounts of money to get rid of every last molecule. Which it almost certainly does not. But if Coke contains only “trace amounts” of coke, then any psychoactive effect is probably imperceptible and negligible. I guess they must be using the coca leaves for **flavor.** Never really thought of them as having any flavor – but how many people this far north have ever even seen a coca leaf? “I **hate** cocaine – but I **love** the smell!” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2005, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolivias-next-president-is-a-coca-farmer/335964/16 "2005-12-18T19:53:34Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > While I agree with your first question (the “problem” is demand, not supply), your second one is a bad analogy. Cocaine is illegal in South American countires, too. > > And I put quotes around “problem” only because I don’t think drugs like cocaine should be illegal for consenting adults. This is as good a place as any to point out that there are some lawful medical uses for cocaine, at least in some countries. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocaine#Cocaine\_as\_a\_local\_anesthetic](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocaine#Cocaine_as_a_local_anesthetic) Actually, I thought novocaine was a cocaine derivative, but apparently it’s not, it’s synthetic. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novacaine](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novacaine) ---
**Author:** ![II\_Gyan\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@II\_Gyan\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/II_Gyan_II)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2005, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolivias-next-president-is-a-coca-farmer/335964/17 "2005-12-18T22:03:56Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > Cocaine is illegal in South American countires, too. Not in personal amounts. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2005, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolivias-next-president-is-a-coca-farmer/335964/18 "2005-12-18T22:11:14Z")
BTW, I can’t find the cite at the moment, but coca cultivation is not illegal everywhere in Bolivia at present; it’s allowed in some provinces but not others – Morales’ home province being in the latter category. ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2005, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolivias-next-president-is-a-coca-farmer/335964/19 "2005-12-18T22:14:10Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > And I put quotes around “problem” only because I don’t think drugs like cocaine should be illegal for consenting adults. How big of a problem is non-consensual cocaine use? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2005, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolivias-next-president-is-a-coca-farmer/335964/20 "2005-12-18T22:20:58Z")
Perhaps we’re focusing this thread too much on cocaine. (My bad, I had to write an attention-grabbing thread title.) The real significance of Morales’ probable election is that he’s probably going to align Bolivia with Venezuela and Cuba, tell the IMF and neoliberals generally to fuck off and die, support left-wing politics throughout Latin America, kick American companies out of the Bolivian natural-gas industry, and nationalize the natural gas fields. What then? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolivias-next-president-is-a-coca-farmer/335964.md?page=2)