On June 15, the regional government of Cuzco, Peru, voted unanimously to legalize
coca production for medical, scientific, and dietary purposes. It also declared
the coca plant to be of significance to regional heritage. Traditionally used
in ceremonies by the region’s Native groups, particularly the Incas, coca
is now largely consumed as a dietary supplement by poor campesinos. In recent
years the U.S.-led War on Drugs has fought coca production, crippling farmers’ incomes
and destroying crops.
