Tag: Bolivia
Posted on Tue Mar 13, 2012 at 07:11:52 PM EST
Tags: war on drugs, Bolivia, coca (all tags)
At the meeting of the UN Commmission on Narcotic Drugs that opened today in Vienna, Bolivian President Evo Morales held up a coca leaf and defended -- to applause -- the right of Bolivians to grow and chew the plant:
Morales said that chewing coca leaves was an "ancestral right" for Bolivians. "We are not drug addicts when we consume the coca leaf. The coca leaf is not cocaine, we have to get rid of this misconception," he said in a speech that ended with applause from the hall.
"This is a millennia-old tradition in Bolivia and we would hope that you will understand that coca leaf producers are not drug dealers."
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Posted on Tue Nov 08, 2011 at 06:04:51 PM EST
Tags: Bolivia, DEA (all tags)
Despite diplomatic relations being restored with Bolivia yesterday, Vice President Vice President Alvaro Garcia said today the DEA is still unwelcome there.
[Garcia]says the Drug Enforcement Administration "was a mechanism of political blackmail" and is not welcome back.
The DEA was expelled from Bolivia in 2008 by by President Evo Morales.
Posted on Sun Feb 08, 2009 at 01:45:00 AM EST
Tags: Bolivia (all tags)
I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Bolivia's new constitution that strengthens the rights and power of indigenous people, went into effect today. It was passed by the voters in January.
President Evo Morales and thousands of supporters celebrated Bolivia's new constitution as it took effect on Saturday, saying the new document will enshrine indigenous rights and end centuries of oppression.
The constitution, the first approved in Bolivia by popular vote, promises more power for the poor, Indan majority; recognizes communal justice; grants some regional autonomy; and declares coca a part of the nation's heritage.
President Morales told the DEA recently to take a hike. (link fixed)[More...]
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