White et al. argue that scientific, cultural and legal evidence clearly distinguishes coca from cocaine — and that global drug policy must correct this long-standing misclassification rooted in colonial bias.
Traditional coca leaf producers and consumers from Peru reject their government’s stance before the WHO, urging the organisation to deschedule coca, recognise its cultural and medicinal uses, and support research and rights-based policies
Bolivia's campaign to remove the coca leaf from the list of the world’s most dangerous drugs highlights the plant's cultural, medicinal and economic importance — and its potential to reshape global drug policy.
Explicit recognition of widespread public health harms of repressive control efforts could positively influence expert recommendation on the schedule of the coca leaf.
Amid a rapidly shifting diplomatic landscape, Colombia has emerged as a potential leader of global non-prohibitionist drug policy reform, but the sustainability of these efforts remains uncertain.
IDPC and five other organisations called on the UN to correct historic injustices, respect Indigenous perspectives, and address the harmful impacts of current drug policies.
The WHO ECDD reviews the coca leaf’s chemistry, pharmacology, and uses, noting potential therapeutic effects, low toxicity, and weak evidence of dependence potential.
Zuluaga Duque et al. reveal how coca substitution policies continue to undermine women’s autonomy by overlooking their conditions of exploitation and exclusion despite their centrality in cultivation.
