Sunday, March 16, 2008

Peru Update

Lawmakers defend traditional coca use - Yahoo! News: "LIMA (Reuters) - Lawmakers defiantly chewed coca in Peru's Congress on Thursday while criticizing a U.N. recommendation to criminalize traditional uses of the plant.

The coca leaf, the raw ingredient of cocaine, is used by millions of people to stave off hunger and fight altitude sickness. It is also used in teas, in cooking and by fortune tellers.

'The coca leaf has existed for thousands and thousands of years. It's part of our agriculture, our food and our medicine. It's sacred,' Congresswoman Hilaria Supa told Reuters before the start of Thursday's session."

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Coca leaf is *not* cocaine. That's a naif or even stupid UN resolution. Please ask the UN what's the danger to my health for drinking "mate de coca" ?

Unknown said...

I chewed coca leaf when I was in Peru. The UN sometimes acts in mysterious ways.