Global cocaine production hits "record high," U.N. drugs agency says
CBSAPR 1 2023
Peru's Coca Leaf Cultivation Reaches Record High
Image copyright: Thayne Tuason [via Wikimedia Commons]
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Aside from promoting deforestation, the expansion of coca crops in Peru is fueling the global supply of cocaine as criminal organizations successfully expand their consumer base both in traditional and new markets. The pandemic has disrupted efforts to remove coca plants, but Peru would have achieved better results had the previous Pedro Castillo government not renounced its harsh policies on drug trafficking.
Establishment-critical narrative
Most Peruvian coca growers are vulnerable small to medium-scale indigenous farmers trying to make a living for their families by producing the Andean traditional and sacred leaf to meet persistent demand in the black market. Given that there is no feasible financial alternative to coca crops, legalizing coca fields and stimulating demand in the legal market is the most sensible way to address this persistent issue.