US objects to Bolivia bid for licit coca-chewing

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

US objects to Bolivia bid for licit coca-chewing
FRANK BAJAK, Associated Press
Published: 02:31 p.m., Tuesday, January 18, 2011


BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — The United States will file a formal objection Wednesday to Bolivia's proposal to end the ban on coca leaf-chewing specified by a half-century-old U.N. treaty, according to a senior U.S. government official.

"We hope that a number of other countries will file as well," the official told The Associated Press on Tuesday. He spoke on condition he not be further identified, citing the topic's political sensitivity.

Despite being stigmatized as the raw material of cocaine, coca leaves have been chewed by indigenous peoples in the Andes for centuries.

A mild stimulant, the leaves have deep cultural and religious value in the region. Chewed or consumed as tea, coca counters altitude sickness, aids digestion and suppresses hunger and fatigue.

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/article/US-objects-to-Bolivia-bid-for-licit-coca-chewing-963828.php

[EFerrari]

1. Harrassment of indigenous peoples.

Nice going.

[Arctic Dave]

2. Like we should be judging them.

Look in the refrigerator in any convenience store across the nation, they are loaded with "energy drinks".


Stupid beyond words.

[roody]

3. How embarrassing.

[FiveGoodMen]

4. Our government won't stop until it has elbowed that Satan guy out of his job

and taken it over.

[enuegii]

5. The really insane part is that you can buy coca leaves here in the US...

from Amazon.com, for example, among others.

[geckosfeet]

6. The US has bullied so many countries into signing onto its failed 'war on drugs'.

The so called war has failed. And the US is still pushing its delusional morality on anyone who it can bully into head nodding along. The war on drugs policy is so failed and they just can't bring themselves to admit they are totally wrong about their approach.

Why are Americans so puritanical when it comes to drugs? Not that I am advocating free heroin for all, but for christmas sake, grow up already.

[EC]

7. I thought there were no bans on stuff used in

religious purposes? Like the Rastas and marijuana.

[Rage for Order]

8. As well we should object

And we should continue to object until a pharmaceutical company can patent it, eradicate all of the naturally occurring coca plants, and dispense it in pill form. For a modest fee, of course.

:sarcasm:

[Lucky Luciano]

9. Totally idiotic. It is so ridiculously not the same as snorting blow. nt

[Downwinder]

10. Do we have a better remedy for altitude sickness?

Do we have any remedy for altitude sickness other than aspirin or an oxygen bottle?

[Judi Lynn]

11. Bolivia launches fizzy drink made with coca leaf

Jan 19, 2011
Bolivia launches fizzy drink made with coca leaf

LA PAZ - BOLIVIA, which is pushing for the decriminalisation of the coca leaf, launched a soft drink made from the plant on Tuesday, the second of its kind.

The drink, called 'Coca Brynco,' was launched at an official ceremony in La Paz, emphasising support from Evo Morales's government for the venture.

Intended to rival its more famous US cousin Coca Cola, the fizzy drink, much like last year's introduction of Coca Colla, is at the center of a plan from coca growers in the central rural Bolivian province of Chapare to boost coca production.

The drink has been 'well received in market research and at tastings,' company head Johnny Vargas told state news agency ABI. La Paz has moved in recent years to expand coca cultivation, with Mr Morales - who also heads the coca growers' union in the Chapare - even bringing attention to the plant when he chewed it at UN meets.

More:
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/World/Story/STIStory_625778.html

[ronnie624]

12. I wish I could get my hands on a bottle. n/t

[Occulus]

13. You can buy coca leaf tea online.

And yes, it most certainly does contain a very small amount of the active ingredient in cocaine.

[ronnie624]

14. I like sampling unusual soda pop.

I don't drink much of it, but I can't resist one I've never tried before. I have a similar weakness for wine.

[SOS]

16. Coca tea is delicious and gives a tiny, clear lift

No different from coffee and slightly less ragged.
The fact that this harmless tea is illegal is insane.

[Judi Lynn]

15. 25 Ex-Circus Lions to Be Air Lifted from Bolivia to Colorado

25 Ex-Circus Lions to Be Air Lifted from Bolivia to Colorado
by Alex Davies, Paris, France on 01.21.11

http://www.treehugger.com.nyud.net:8090/lion-cage.jpg

In a series of rescue operations in the past few months, Animal Defenders International (ADI), an animal protection group, and Bolivian authorities have freed 25 lions from circuses throughout the South American country. The removals of the lions from the circuses were in accordance with Bolvia's Law 4040, signed last January by President Evo Morales, banning the use of wild and domestic animals in the country's travelling circuses. Now recovering from lives of deprivation and poor treatment, the lions are temporarily living in a Santa Cruz compound, until they can reach their new home, nearly 5,000 miles away.

The 25 lions are headed for the Wild Animal Sanctuary outside Denver, Colorado, a 320 acre area of grassland that is already home to more than 200 lions, tigers, bears, and other carnivores, all living in sprawling, species-specific habitats. Talk about moving on up: the Bolivian lions, which range in age from 12 years old to a few months, have only known terrible living conditions. Eight lived in the same cage, about 115 square feet large, kept on the back of a truck. The air lifting of the lions from Bolivia to Colorado has been dubbed "Operation Lion Ark," says ADI President Jan Creamer:

We've called this 'Operation Lion Ark' because we plan to move all 25 lions in one go. This means that although they will be crated separately, we can move the entire families of lions together and minimize their time apart. It means that our veterinary team can oversee the lions throughout the flight. We also believe that this will be the safest and most efficient way to move the lions, but it is a huge undertaking.

But getting the lions to their new home is an expensive proposition, and to that end, ADI has launched an international appeal for donations. You can visit their website to learn more about the lions' story and to donate to the cause.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/01/25-ex-circus-lions-to-be-air-lifted-from-bolivia-to-colorado.php?campaign=th_rss_travel