Bolivian cocaine rises with Morales

Dear Editor:
Although The Washington Times article on Bolivian cocaine is rightfully alarmed by the rise in cocaine production since former coca grower Evo Morales assumed the presidency, Martin Arostegui fails to address the limits of Washington’s ineffective drug policies (“Bolivian cocaine rises with Morales,” July 27).
In a somewhat hasty response, Washington now threatens to decertify Bolivia as a fully cooperating partner in the U.S.-led War on Drugs, a move that would disqualify Bolivia from preferential trade tariffs and approximately $100 million in aid. Yet in a country where close to two-thirds of the population lives below the poverty line, higher rates on Bolivian products will only encourage the illicit production of coca, a much more lucrative option than USAID’s alternative crop substitution program.
Unfortunately, for those indigent coca growers who are simply trying to survive, it doesn’t matter if the plant goes to harmless traditional use or is illegally processed into cocaine by drug traffickers. But it would be wise to recall that previous attempts to eradicate illegal coca cultivation through the War on Drugs only resulted in widespread human rights violations against thousands of Bolivian farmers. Washington’s faulty approach aggravated already simmering social tensions, which ultimately led to the election of the pro-coca Morales.
As it becomes increasingly clear that the U.S.-led anti-drug effort can only at best contain illicit cultivation, rather than eliminate the poverty that is the root cause of the problem, the time has come to acknowledge the need for a fresh, innovative approach to managing coca in Bolivia and the rest of South America, and forego the usual back-of-the-hand treatment.