Bolivia Coca Trade

Bolivia's economy is one of the poorest in the Americas, ranking
ahead of only Haiti. Bolivia is the world's second largest producer of coca leaf
after Peru and the second largest producer of cocaine after
Colombia.  Most of the cocaine refined from  Bolivian coca leaf is
consumed in the United States.
The coca plant,the source for the illegal drug cocaine brings millions
of dollars to the informal sector of economy. BUT it is also the only provider of work for thousands of poor people that live there.
The production of coca in the countryside has
become almost unstoppable, where hundreds of hectares of forest are
being cut yearly for the cultivation of the plant.
The government, with assistance from the United States, is
trying to curtail the expansion of coca but with little success.
One of the major challenges or problems that the government of
Bolivia faces is the fact that many people in Bolivia consider the
coca growing a part of their culture and a necessity for their
economic survival.
   The original version of what we now know as Coca-Cola, drew on
the medicinal benefits of coca.  Now, as the Coca-Cola company
points out, any trace of an addictive drug has been taken out of
its product, but the company still buys coca from Bolivia to be
used as flavoring.  The flavoring of coca is non-addictive, since
most of the chemicals that cause addiction are removed from the
product.