We are advocating for the continued use of coca for the Indigenous and local people of whom it’s a sacred and medicinal plant, and to research coca for its future potential to support human health.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, doctors in Europe and America promoted cocaine as a wonder drug, among other indications, as a treatment for the then prevalent problem of morphine addiction. When the dangers of cocaine became apparent and its use increased dramatically in Europe and America, authorities blamed coca for all the trouble it caused. Their response was to enact national and international laws against coca, to prohibit indigenous use of it, and even to try to eradicate the plant in its native lands.