The right of indigenous people in South America’s Andean region to chew coca leaf was removed in 1964 when Bolivia was under a dictatorship and it signed the convention. In 2011, Bolivia told the UN that it did not want to be part of the convention any more. It is now part of the convention again, but with an exemption so that its indigenous people can continue chewing coca leaves. The exemption is the first in the history of UN drug-control agreements. It has led to worries that other countries may also ask for exemptions. Russia says that the exemption will lead to more illegal cocaine and warns that “it also sets a dangerous example that could be used by other states in creating a more liberal drug-control regime.”
What did Russia warn will happen?
Bolivia’s exemption will be a hazardous model that could be used by other countries Dangerously strict drug control regimes will be adopted by many countries Russia will annul its 1964 decision to support the right of indigenous people to chew coca Russia will leave the convention if Bolivia’s exemption is grante