Bolivia's plurinational legislature has approved a law withdrawing
the country from the 1961 Vienna Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs in protest
at the ban on coca leaf chewing (Art.49); a provision which President Evo
Morales maintains contravenes Bolivia's 2009 constitution. The new law
stipulates that Bolivia will re-join the Convention in January 2012, with a
reservation regarding the section in question, and the government maintains
other obligations regarding anti-drugs efforts will be upheld. Morales'
commitment to his ‘coca sí, cocaína no' platform is viewed with suspicion in
Washington. Bolivia's move raises questions as to whether any other country will
follow suit.End of preview - This article contains approximately 618 words.
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