A brew of ancient coca is Bolivia’s buzzy new beer. But it’s unclear if the world will buy in
In La Paz, Bolivia, the sight of buckets of coca leaves soaking in liquid is a familiar one, signaling not a clandestine cocaine lab but the government-authorized El Viejo Roble distillery. For years, this distillery has been producing liquor from coca leaves and is now preparing to launch a coca-infused beer. This initiative is part of Bolivia's broader effort to destigmatize the coca leaf, best known internationally as the main ingredient of cocaine.
The World Health Organization's recent decision to study the non-narcotic benefits of coca has renewed hopes among Bolivian farmers, producers, and sellers. "Exporting is a desire that my people and I have had since I was a child," said Lizzette Torrez, a leader of one of Bolivia's main coca-grower unions.
Despite being the world's third-largest producer of the coca leaf, Bolivia faces significant challenges in gaining international acceptance for coca products. The WHO's study marks the first step in a potentially lengthy process to decriminalize the leaf worldwide.
Within Bolivia, coca leaves have long been used in spiritual rituals and a variety of products, from liquor to toothpaste. El Viejo Roble's new $2 brew is set to join its coca-flavored vodka and rum. However, these products remain limited to local markets due to international restrictions classifying coca as a narcotic.
Bolivia's government is reviving its push to create a global market for coca products, a campaign that received a major boost with the WHO's announcement of the scientific review. This study will assess coca's medicinal and nutritional properties and determine the permissible levels of cocaine alkaloid in coca products for international markets.
In Neelam Valley, near La Paz, coca growers welcomed the WHO review. For them, chewing coca leaves is akin to drinking coffee. "It helps me to harvest without fatigue and support my family," said farmer Juan de Dios Cocarico.
The global decriminalization of coca could bring much-needed export revenue for Bolivia, especially as the country faces an economic crisis due to dwindling foreign-exchange reserves. Coca sustains 70,000 cocaleros and generates around $279 million annually.
However, the United States and other Western countries have historically opposed Bolivia's attempts to decriminalize coca, associating cocaleros with the global drug trade. The U.S. government has maintained that legal coca markets do not prevent the rise of illegal ones, citing increased coca cultivation and cocaine production in Bolivia.
Bolivia's former President Evo Morales, a prominent advocate for coca growers, succeeded in securing a U.N. exemption for traditional coca uses in 2013. However, his efforts for a WHO study were halted by political turmoil in 2019.
Now, under President Luis Arce, Bolivia is renewing its push for global acceptance of the coca leaf, urging nations to correct what they see as a historical injustice. The WHO's upcoming study could be a pivotal step in this decades-long campaign.
