by Briana Murphy

Created on: May 28, 2008

According to a poll by Captura Consulting SRL, 38% of adults in Bolivia are ready to re-elect President Evo Morales in the next presidential election. The cocaleros, or coca farmers, hold President Evo Morales in especially high regard. Why? Evo Morales was once a cocalero himself, and believes he best understands the hardships that face the cocaleros. It follows that he also believes he has the best solution to the cocaine problem in Bolivia, which is his "Coca si, cocaina no" program. "Coca si, cocaina no" allows cocaleros to continue growing coca, which is often the most profitable crop for many Bolivian farmers. However, with "Coca si, cocaina no," all the coca produced must be used legally it may not be sold to produce cocaine.

Of course, no government-instigated program comes without problems. Some of the problems are internal. Children skip school to work on coca farms. Ecologically important old-growth Bolivian forests are being cleared to plant even more coca fields. And, much of the coca produced goes to markets where it can easily end up in questionable hands. At the same time, some of these problems are external, and one concerns the United States. "Coca si, cocaina no" interferes with the United States' "War on Drugs," which seeks to completely eliminate coca production. This puts stress on an already tense international relationship the United States does not exactly smile upon Evo Morales and his close ties with the Castros in Cuba and Chavez in Venezuela. On the other end, Bolivia was not happy to hear about Bush's 2.2 billion-dollar Andean Regional Initiative, which involved use of the U.S. military on Bolivian soil.

So where is the line drawn for the United States when telling Morales how to run his country? It's tough to say, when the U. S. citizens have overwhelmingly bad ratings of President Bush, and the majority of Bolivian citizens believe President Morales has done wonders for their country. It's tough to say, when Bolivia is the world's third largest cocaine producer, behind only Peru and Columbia. And it's tough to say, when the coca production is not only the means of livelihood for many Bolivian farmers, but coca leaves themselves have been culturally important to Bolivia for thousands of years.

Bolivia is not the only country with this kind of conflict with the United States. Afghanistan is facing a similar situation with its ever-expanding poppy fields. Poppy, which is an opiate and the key ingredient in heroin, is a profitable

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