The 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs seeks to restrict the use of narcotic substances to medical and scientific purposes, fostering ongoing international cooperation and control. As part of this framework, the Convention outlines four schedules of narcotic drugs and preparations, with Schedule I substances subject to the strictest controls. Included in Schedule I is coca leaf, classified as a narcotic.
Bolivia has launched a formal effort to review the classification of coca leaf under Schedule I of the 1961 Convention, arguing that this classification contradicts established scientific and pharmacological procedures and infringes upon the legitimate rights, cultural heritage, and ancestral medical practices of the Bolivian people.
A critical evaluation by the World Health Organization (WHO) is intended to correct this historical oversight within the United Nations’ drug control framework. This review aims to demonstrate that coca leaf, in its natural form, poses no harm to the human body nor creates dependency. On the contrary, it offers multiple medicinal, nutritional, and beneficial properties, backed by thousands of years of use in the Andean-Amazon region.
Reclassifying coca leaf would not alter the control measures for cocaine production. The cultivation of coca for cocaine production will remain regulated by international treaties and Bolivian law.
In 2011, the Plurinational State of Bolivia asserted its right to permit, within its territory, the traditional practice of coca leaf chewing, along with the consumption and use of coca leaves in their natural form for cultural and medicinal purposes. This includes use in infusions, as well as the cultivation, trade, and possession of coca leaves, strictly for lawful purposes. Simultaneously, Bolivia affirmed its commitment to maintaining stringent control over coca cultivation to prevent misuse and the illegal production of narcotics derived from the leaves. Bolivia’s re-adherence to the 1961 Single Convention, with its reservation, does not imply the deregulation of coca cultivation or the unrestricted production, import, export, trade, and possession of coca leaves. On the contrary, it obliges the country to enhance and strengthen control mechanisms to better regulate coca cultivation, ensuring that it is not misused or diverted into illicit narcotics production. This is done to safeguard public health and prevent coca from becoming part of illegal drug trafficking networks.
On June 20, 2023, President Luis Arce Catacora formally notified UN Secretary-General António Guterres of Bolivia’s official request for a critical review of the coca leaf’s current classification under the United Nations narcotic drug control system. The request highlights the inconsistencies in the classification of coca leaf, which currently places it under Schedule I, arguing that this categorization contravenes established procedures and scientific pharmacological research. Bolivia contends that this classification infringes upon the country’s legitimate cultural, medicinal, and ancestral rights.
Along with the formal notification, Bolivia submitted a detailed document providing objective evidence to address the inconsistencies surrounding the coca leaf’s classification, presenting it within the context of international law and supported by numerous scientific studies.
The Digital Research Repository is a virtual platform designed to serve as a central resource for collecting and consulting research, theses, articles, and both published and unpublished scientific and academic works on the coca leaf. These contributions come from universities, research institutes, foundations, and independent researchers across the globe. Modeled after a Digital Library, the repository enables quick and easy access to past, current, and future research for scientists, academics, and the general public interested in the coca leaf. This tool allows academic and scientific communities to document their previous, ongoing, and future publications on the coca leaf.
Coca leaf is recognized as a genetic resource and cultural heritage of the Andean-Amazonian Indigenous Peoples, closely linked to traditional knowledge. Article 348 of the Political Constitution of the Plurinational State of Bolivia affirms that “The State protects the original and ancestral coca leaf as a cultural heritage, a renewable natural resource within Bolivia’s biodiversity, and as a symbol of social cohesion. In its natural state, it is not classified as a narcotic. The valorization, production, commercialization, and industrialization of coca leaf will be regulated by law.”
Through its “Coca Diplomacy,” Bolivia has actively advanced resolutions within various multilateral platforms, advocating for the rights of Indigenous Peoples, traditional knowledge, traditional medicine, and intellectual property. These resolutions have been endorsed by the United Nations, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and the World Health Organization (WHO).
SINGLE CONVENTION ON NARCOTIC DRUGS, 1961
UN DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
LIST OF NARCOTIC DRUGS SUBJECTED TO INTERNATIONAL CONTROL
The Commission on Narcotic Drugs was established by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) through Resolution 9 (I) in 1946, to assist in overseeing the implementation of international drug control treaties. In 1991, the General Assembly expanded the CND’s mandate to include governance of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The CND holds annual meetings to discuss and adopt various decisions and resolutions, while intersessional meetings are also convened periodically. At the end of each year, the CND conducts a resumed session to address budgetary and administrative matters in its capacity as the governing body of the UN International Drug Control Programme.
As part of the UNODC Country Programme for Bolivia (2023-2027), coca crop monitoring alls under Pillar 1: Tackling drug-related challenges and surplus coca cultivation. In response to Resolution 42/3 of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in 1999 and the Action Plan for Cooperation on Illicit Crop Eradication, adopted at the UN General Assembly’s 20th Special Session (June 10, 1998), all producing countries were urged to develop and implement national mechanisms to effectively monitor and verify illicit crops used in drug production.
Within the framework of the Illicit Crop Monitoring Programme (ICMP) led by the UNODC in Vienna, the Plurinational State of Bolivia receives support for establishing a national coca crop monitoring system. Since 2003, this system has produced and published annual reports on the extent of coca cultivation in Bolivia.
The First International Symposium, titled “Inter-Scientific Dialogues on Coca Leaf,” is designed to foster interaction between conventional medicine and traditional practices. The symposium will explore the nutritional and health benefits, as well as the industrial applications, of the sacred coca leaf. This event acknowledges the cultural symbolism and identity of the coca leaf for Indigenous Peoples worldwide, emphasizing that it is far more than just a plant.
SCOPE AND PURPOSE OF THE EVENT
- To provide a platform for reflection, grounded in scientific and academic evidence, on the benefits of coca leaf in its natural form. National and international researchers and experts, including representatives from universities, will present their findings.
- To launch the First Edition of “EXPOKOKABOL 2024” and unveil the “Catalog of Products Derived from Coca Leaf and Its Application in Traditional Medicine,” highlighting its use in medicine, nutrition, the cosmetics industry, and other industrial sectors. Coca leaf will be recognized as a product with export potential and a Designation of Origin.
- To create a space for dialogue and experience-sharing between conventional medicine, represented by university students and professionals, and traditional medicine practitioners. Representatives from the pharmaceutical industry, including artisanal laboratories and businesses, will also participate. The goal is to discuss the nutritional, health, and industrial benefits of coca leaf, highlighting its export potential through a complementary approach that integrates both scientific and cultural knowledge.
EXPOKOKABOL 2024 will serve as a public platform for the exhibition of products derived from coca leaves, emphasizing their industrial uses and export potential. The event will also showcase the plant’s benefits through its application in traditional medicine and culinary practices, including tastings that highlight its nutritional value. The fair will celebrate the deep cultural, ancestral, and ritual significance of the coca leaf, demonstrated through traditional practices like coca leaf chewing and readings in Bolivia.
The event will feature active participation from companies and laboratories, including artisanal producers in the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical sectors, all of which use coca leaf in their production processes. Additionally, traditional healers, naturopaths, and kallawayas—practitioners of ancient Andean medicine—will share their expertise. Producers and marketers from the Department of La Paz, as well as representatives from Bolivian culinary schools, will demonstrate the coca leaf’s use in gastronomy. EXPOKOKABOL 2024 will also provide an informative space for the general public, featuring contributions from government institutions involved in coca leaf research and policy.
On May 29, 2024, the Government of Colombia formally expressed its support for Bolivia’s request for a critical review of the coca leaf’s classification. This endorsement was communicated to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, signifying a key international collaboration in advancing the examination of coca leaf.
