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Commission of Inquiry on the Coca Leaf |
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In 1961 the coca leaf was listed on
Schedule I of the UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs together with cocaine
and heroin. The inclusion of coca has caused much harm to the Andean region and
a historical correction is long overdue, for the sake of further conflict
prevention and out of respect for the Andean culture. The rationale for
including the coca leaf in the 1961 Single Convention is mainly rooted in a
report requested of the United Nations by the permanent representative of Peru
that was prepared by a commission that visited Bolivia and Peru briefly in
1949. In this section you will find the original report (which is now
almost impossible to find) and an overview of the discussions in the UN bodies
on the coca issue.
Sections of the report in the UN Bulletin on Narcotics
- Commission of Inquiry on the Coca Leaf Bulletin on Narcotics - 1949 Issue 1 - 005.
Abstract: At the beginning of September this year the United Nations
dispatched a Commission of Enquiry to South America to study certain
aspects of two uses to which the leaf of the coca bush is put.
- Commission of Inquiry on the Coca Leaf Bulletin on Narcotics - 1950 Issue 4 - 004
Abstract: At the request of the Government of Peru, then of the
Government of Bolivia, the United Nations sent, during the autumn of
1949, to these countries, a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the
effects of chewing the coca leaf and the possibilities of limiting its
production and controlling its distribution (see Bulletin on Narcotics,
vol. I, no. 1, October 1949). The Commission and its secretariat left
New York on 10 September 1949 and returned on 4 December 1949. Its
report was completed in May 1950: two parts of this report are hereby
reproduced, namely, the methods of work of the Commission, and its
conclusions and recommendations.
- Coca Chewing, Geography and Nutrition Bulletin on Narcotics - 1950 Issue 4 - 001
Abstract: Coca-leaf chewing, or "coqueo" as it is called, is related to
a wide diversity of factors: social, economic, biopsychological,
cultural, geographical, nutritional, etc. In this paper, climate
altitude and nutrition will be considered. It is a widely held opinion
that because of these three factors coca-leaf chewing can to a great
extent be regarded as a necessity in some parts of South America. The
purpose of this paper is to inquire whether the generalization is
correct or not. The three closely interrelated factors are studied in
the light of social, economic and cultural factors, as well as to
strictly geographical and nutritional considerations, since geography
and nutrition are closely related to various social, economic and
cultural factors and vice versa.
CND Res.1(VII). The Problem of the Coca Leaf (1952) Resolution that requested Bolivia and Peru to take the necessary steps to limit immediately the production of coca leaves to licit consumption and manufacture.
Bulletin of Narcotics from 1949 until 1996: 90 documents on the coca leaf and cocaine
Bolivia's reservations to 1988 UN Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances
Bolivia declared the provisions of the paragraph which could be
interpreted as establishing as a criminal offence the use, consumption,
possession, purchase or cultivation of the coca leaf for personal
consumption, inapplicable because they are contrary to principles of
its Constitution and basic concepts of its legal system which embody
respect for the culture, legitimate practices, values and attributes of
the nationalities making up Bolivia's population.
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Coca 
