Bolivia's drug policy may undergo a dramatic transformation now that coca farmer Evo Morales has won the country's presidential election. Morales, an indigeous Bolivian who rose to prominence through a regional coca leaf farmers' group, has publicly vowed to legalize coca production.

In a position that opposes the current U.S.-backed coca eradication policy, Morales calls for zero tolerance for drug trafficking but sees a place for coca farming to facilitate traditional use of the leaves. For thousands of years, indigenous Bolivians have chewed coca leaves, which contain small amounts of cocaine, to ward off the altitude sickness that can accompany living at high mountain elevations. In fact, the plant is sacred to the Aymara and Quechua people who are indigenous to the Andes.

Though it has not commented on Morales directly, the United States indicated last week that the quality of its relationship with the Bolivian government will depend on the policies the new president pursues. A State Department spokesperson said in a December 15 briefing, "We expect whatever government comes next in Bolivia to honor those commitments that they have made to fight the production and transport of illegal drugs."

Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Alliance, counters, "Given the United States' poor track record with international drug policy, the U.S. government has no right to bully other countries to follow our failed model."

In addition to advocating legalization of coca production, Morales also wants the United Nations to remove the coca leaf from its list of controlled substances. He explains on his website, "Like other plants coca is a medicine, a holy plant."

Nadelmann notes, "The ban on international trade of coca-based products has no basis in science or public health."