Within Bolivia, the world's third-biggest producer of the coca leaf, and of cocaine, the ancient leaf has inspired spiritual rituals among Indigenous communities for generations — and more ...

Bolivia is now home to a thriving domestic coca industry. There’s coca-infused tea, candy and beer, while leaves for chewing ...

Based out of Illinois, the Stepan Company is the only commercial entity in the United States which is allowed to import coca leaves. With permission from the DEA, Stepan imports upwards of 100 ...

But Bolivians' legal right to chew the leaf was lost when the ... rum – and a new $2 beer from a government-authorised distillery. But the coca-infused products remained "limited to artisanal ...

Morales entered Bolivian public life as the leader of a coca growers union and is on a crusade to persuade the international community to stop stigmatizing the leaf. As president, he has sharply ...

Traditional uses of coca leaves have been recognized on many occasions as part of the identity and collective memory of Colombian, Bolivian and other indigenous communities in the Andean region.

In 2023, the South American country set a new record last year for coca leaf cultivation and cocaine production, which rose 53 percent from 1,738 tonnes (1,915 US tons) to 2,600 tonnes ...