LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivian President Evo Morales has been re-elected head of the country’s largest union of coca growers and promises to expand crops if he wins a third term as the nation’s leader.
Morales told union members Sunday that Bolivia needs a new law regarding coca production.
Current law allows nearly 30,000 acres of coca leaf to be grown for traditional use. One proposal would expand the permitted acreage, including in the Chapare region that is Morales’ political base, to more than 49,000 acres.
The United Nations, however, has estimated Bolivia already grows more than that, with nearly 57,000 acres believed dedicated to the crop last year.
Traditionally, coca leaf is used in religious rituals or to fight off fatigue and altitude sickness. It also can be used to produce cocaine.
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