Versión Español
EspañolA Bolivian delegation will defend its new law on coca and drug trafficking against a United Nations narcotics commission this week.
According to Deputy Minister of Social Defense and Controlled Substances Felipe Cáceres, two new legal bodies will be introduced to fight against drug trafficking, as well as a new law that increases the amount of coca crops that can be grown.
The delegation will travel to Vienna, Austria, where the Commission of Narcotics of the UN General Assembly will convene March 13th to 15th as part of a review of 2016’s fight against drug trafficking.
The new law to expand coca cultivation, questioned in advance by the European Union (EU), permanently legalizes the farming of up to 54,363 acres of coca leaf in the country, almost doubles the current allotted area for farming.
Moreover, the Controlled Substances Act, which is currently under discussion, merges new investigation methods including the payment of witnesses and wiretaps in cases of drug trafficking. Both laws will be presented at the 61st Anti-Drug Commission meeting.
President Evo Morales said he already anticipates that Bolivia has “all the arguments” to justify the increase of coca crops and local, legal consumption for infusions, drinks and ritual use.
Sources: El Deber; La Razón; El Comercio.
