Coca,an alternative to cocaine?

Abstract

This article examines alternatives to the war on drugs in terms of the continued survival of the legal market in coca leaves. By comparing the two areas of traditional coca use and cultivation—northwest Amazonas state, Brazil, and the department of Cusco, Peru—the differences are highlighted between Peruvian and Brazilian attitudes towards coca and ethnic identity. Formula tions based on a rigid dichotomy between (good) coca and (bad) cocaine are shown to confuse morality with purely practical considerations. Rather than a simple distinction between substances, the experience of indigenous drug users in South America suggests an understanding of the importance of cultural values in controlling any kind of drug consumption, and a recognition of the long-term effectiveness of 'user-friendly' strategies of prevention.