Education on the Coca Eradication

Let me first explain to you why I chose to write this essay: it amazes me the people of the United States are completely unaware of things that go on, things that are done by their own government. Those who do know don’t share the information, as they very well should. I for one will share the information! Some of you are aware, and some are not, that the U.S in a sense declared war on the coca farmers of Bolivia awhile back. It amazes me that when we send troops into a famous nation like Iraq protestors arise saying we’re just being bullies and fighting these wars for financial gain. When a nation possibly has weapons of mass destruction we refuse to allow the war to go on. But for some reason if a nation possibly has drugs, by all means, pursue it! The coca farmers of Bolivia use coca leaves, the cash crop of Bolivia, one of the only things keeping their economy alive I might add, to make products like medicinal tea, shampoo, and toothpastes, and also for chewing . None of these things are drugs, and yet our own nation the U.S.A has declared that we must eradicate the substance to prevent cocaine from being made and transported into the U.S. It disturbs me that most people I talk to don’t even know this is happening, I have to ask myself, why should people be put out of work, troops be killed, and billions be spent, just so your cousin won’t get high? This Coca War, if you will, which I will describe, is just one example of how the Drug Wars are destroying lives and getting nothing done. So my goal is to educate you on just what is happening in Bolivia at this time.

What basically happened at the start of all this was, Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada was elected president. Let me tell you first that this man was originally a citizen of the United States, then he went over there and got elected president. He made some kind deal with our country, now giving us the full cooperation of the Bolivian government to destroy its people’s coca farms. Both the U.S government, and the Bolivian government seemed to build some kind of political mafia within this small nation, and I must say these are low tactics for any democracy to consider.

Furthermore, the U.S is by any measure the biggest culprit in this chaos, as they have for a long time been putting pressure on Bolivia to start this program, or lose aid from the United States. This is an outrage, that the U.S.A, my beloved country, would abuse their power and their charity and lord it over this weak nation. But the people of Bolivia aren’t taking it lying down, protestors have arisen not just to march, or even just to form roadblocks in Bolivia, but also to literally fight back against this injustice. Bolivian farmers and soldiers alike have lost their lives to the civil war that may soon begin, and their blood is unfortunately on our hands, because of how our government has conducted this “war on drugs”. Farmers have vowed to fight to the death against this eradication, and the governments aren’t backing down either, so it seems to me that this conflict could go on forever.

Much momentum has been gained however, due to all the political pressure and chaos going on. President de Lozada has been pushed out of office, and now has asylum here in the U.S. When the elections take place I’m quite sure Evo Morales, the leader of the Coca Farmers Union, will run for president and the people will speak, and he will take office. That is just my guess though, and he will push for the legalization of the coca crop, and if and when that happens Washington will feel a sting in this conflict, as it already has been beginning to. Now let’s say coca is legalized in Bolivia, and the farmers can return to work in peace…will this conflict finally end? No I don’t think so, because America will continue to threaten to cut off foreign aid, and apply more and more political pressure for them to continue with the eradication process. My question to our government is this: what will this accomplish? Bolivian soldiers will die in bombs and attacks from local militias, and farmers will continue to be jailed, beaten, and killed for standing up for their rights. This will cost us millions of dollars, or destroy Bolivia, our choice, and the war on drugs that Washington wants to conduct, will not even be one step closer to being over. You cannot destroy every substance that is used in making drugs. If Bolivia doesn’t have coca, Peru still will, as it is also having a conflict with the people who want it legalized. Furthermore, what about the nations where drugs are legal, let alone their possible ingredients, there will be trafficking from Canada, who now has legalized them (as we should in my opinion) many will flow in from Mexico. Columbia will continue to be a problem, and if not them then who else will we declare war on? Holland? Perhaps some smaller Asian nations? This war cannot be won; Washington has overextended itself once again, just as it did with alcohol. What am I saying in all this? Well prohibition doesn’t work, and Bolivia is just one of the nations we will ruin if we continue to pursue this. We will destroy nations; we will make people to hate capitalism and even democracy itself. Because America is the leader of the free world, they will hate the free world. We will ruin lives of both adults and teenagers who go to jail just because they got high, and now come out as hardened criminals, and we will have accomplished nothing.

Whether or not you share my views on prohibition of drugs we can agree on this: the nonsense in Bolivia has to stop. Coca is most of the time not used to create drugs but has many other wonderful and productive uses. Bolivia and her people do not deserve the bullying that America has applied to it, or the laws we have imposed on them. We will not only ruin their lives and their country by shattering the already second weakest economy in the Americas, but will incite yet more hatred for America and democracy. We are spending too much money and causing too much death for a substance we will never get rid of, and Washington needs to hear the voices of its people.

In conclusion: what can you do? Call your congressman, write the president, spread the word of what’s going on, and make your voice heard. Let the people of Bolivia know we are with them, let democracy and freedom prevail, by preventing a so-called free government from imposing a law that the PEOPLE do not WANT! Protest, run amuck, and don’t let Plymouth Rock land on you, or on our friends the people of Bolivia. Even organize protests if you feel up to it, do what democracy requires you to do! Thank you; thank you very much!

Submitted by David (me), of Pensylvania, a believer (not yet official member) in the Libertarian Party