Big news, so far apparently not reported in U.S. media
Bolivia abandona la convención de la ONU contra las drogas
La Paz, 22 jun (EFE).- El Congreso boliviano aprobó hoy, a petición del presidente Evo Morales, la denuncia de la convención de la ONU contra los estupefacientes de 1961, como protesta porque el organismo no ha despenalizado el masticado de la hoja de coca.
La Cámara de Diputados, controlada por el oficialismo, ratificó en primera y segunda instancia la ley de abandono de la convención, tras leer una carta de Morales, lÃder de sindicatos de cultivadores de coca, base para la producción de cocaÃna, y escuchar explicaciones del canciller, David Choquehuanca.
“La convención del 1961 prohÃbe el acullicu (masticado de coca). Si nosotros no hacemos esta denuncia, nuestros hermanos no van a poder ejercer esta práctica ancestral”, dijo Choquehuanca.
Google’s imperfect, but useful translation:
La Paz, June 22 (EFE) .- Bolivian Congress today approved the request of President Evo Morales, the denunciation of the UN convention against drugs in 1961, as a protest because the agency has not decriminalized chewed leaf coca.
The Chamber of Deputies, controlled by the ruling, upheld on first and second instance the law leaving the convention, after reading a letter from Morales, leader of coca growers unions, the basis for cocaine production, and listen to explanations Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca.
“The convention of 1961 prohibits acullicu (coca chewing). If we do not make this claim, our brothers will not be able to practice this ancient practice,” said Choquehuanca. […]
… the chief deputies, Edwin Tupa, defended the move, noting that defends “the dignity of Bolivians” and “the sacred leaf.”
He added that critics of the measure are in favor of “Empire (USA), which unfortunately wants to continue as a narcotic to the coca leaf.”
Update: Apparently still needs Senate approval.
How do you say Junefest in Spanish?
Screw Oktoberfest.
This is the biggest news so far this year. This is only the first. Look for other countries to find a way out and soon. They’ll be running from that treaty and it’s onerous requirements like rats. The prohibitionist’s final excuse is dissolving.
Bolivia want back in – but coca leaf excepted. Still, could be just a clever diplomatic move to minimise the risk of international condemnation/sanction.
As history generally demonstrates, in the political world, nothing is more permanent than a ‘temporary’ solution.
I tend to believe that this is a feint on the Bolivian’s part. One that will lead to eventual and complete withdrawal from all international (translation: US) drug ‘control’ efforts and going their own way.
The rationale for the denunciation – refusal of the ONODC to accept that coca has a legitimate use – has much deeper significance. This has more to do with asserting national sovereignty in the face of US and UN pressures to kow-tow to American-sired drug policy. as plain as day.
Once it becomes obvious that the sky hasn’t fallen, I fully expect Peru to follow suit…and for the same reasons. National pride is at stake here.
And once out of the Treaty, there will be demonstrably less popular demand within those countries to re-enter it. Doing so would be viewed by the average citizen of those countries as a diminution of the sovereignty they will have regained. No local pol will want to risk the umbrage of those citizens.
Therefore, the current rationale will be one of leaving now with a tenuous, nebulous, non-binding promise to ‘think about’ re-entry…but there simply will be no real local impetus to do so.
In other words, Bolivia very diplomatically told the UNODC and the US to kiss its’ arse. It’s ‘outta there’ when it comes to the SCT. And very soon others will make the same gesture.
Wow! I read a while back that if they left it they would look to re-sign it with a Coca-leaf exemption in order to not face too many international sanctions?
Way to go Bolivia!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/23/bolivia-drugs-convention-coca-leaves
It was predicted here that a Latin American nation would be the first to denounce the treaty. And here it is. The Bolovian Senate’s ratification of this move will prove to be mere formality.
You’ve just heard the first domino fall. The rest will follow shortly. Which will lead to entire geographic blocs of nations following suit. Soon, Uncle may find himself in the company of only the most craven of his sycophantic ‘foreign aid’- receiving nations.
Anslinger’s greatest achievement – imposing his racial bigotry on a planetary scale – is about to be torn into shreds. Next, you may expect mass expulsions of DEA agents from these nations, as it’s long been known that DEA is CIA’s ‘bitch’.
In my best Bob Dylan impression: “Oooh, the times, they are a-changin!”
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You know this is going to confuse the hell out of the Know Nothings. If you manage to push a Know Nothing’s argument past ‘Federal law is supreme’ the treaty is there next ace in the hole. That’s actually just how Harry J. planned it. We may yet get that cocksucker dead and buried once and for all.
Anyone care to wager that there are going to be calls for military actions against Bolivia because “they’re breaking the law”?
Hey, where the heck would I go to purchase a Bolivian flag?
The US couldn’t justify more military action right now because a country pulled out of the convention, at least not under that pretence and especially after they have vowed to “keep its international obligations in the fight against drug trafficking”.. some other method of subversion will no doubt be used… prepare for Mr. Morales credibility to be severely attacked, unless other Latin American countries can step up to the plate and follow his lead…
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Jake I was mainly talking about Know Nothing prohibitionists outside the government. You know, like the ones that call for summary execution for possession.
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Thx DC
Apologies Duncan, I of course know that you know that.. I think I was more having a go at the US policy.. as if they weren’t in two wars currently I’m sure they could find an excuse/pretence to enter Bolivia.. i.e. go in under ‘drug trafficking’ but really steal all the Lithium from the salt flats :-s
http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=bolivian+flag&_sacat=See-All-Categories
🙂
Cue CIA assassination of Morales in 10,9,8…
I’ve lost the ability to feign shock unfortunately.
another good editorial in the New York Times about the 4th amendment
“THIS spring was a rough season for the Fourth Amendment. The Obama administration petitioned the Supreme Court to allow GPS tracking of vehicles without judicial permission.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/23/opinion/23shipler.html
Still needs Senate approval…. Ease up on the celebrating till it’s a sealed deal folks.
YES!!! Fuck the DEA.
Two thumbs up for Bolivia, stickin it to the man.
Still needs the Senate’s approval. You know, the really rich guys who sit at the top of society, running the country through back-room deals.
Call me cynical, but they won’t support this. No money in it for them.
But didn’t Morales get to his position by representing money aka the Coca growers union? Plus, legal regulation of Coca leaf in a country where it is used and now even being put into cola is surely where the money is.. plus his party has a 2/3rds majority in the senate according to the Guardian article..
10th amendment rights yesterday and rights of Latin American countries today. I almost had some hope for a few moments!
Morales is firmly in control of his Senate.
Bolivia’s coca campaign – in pictures
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2011/jan/19/bolivia-coca-campaign-in-pictures?intcmp=239#/?picture=370784626&index=0
If it is only Coca-leaves which are excepted when joining back, it is the classiclal ‘my drug is good, your drug is bad’ approach.
Yup. Only Fox News Latino has the story
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2011/06/23/bolivia-to-withdraw-from-un-drug-convention/
The legislation states that Bolivia may rejoin the convention in 2012, but only if the articles that outlaw the chewing of coca leaf – and which contravene the Andean nation’s 2009 constitution – are removed.
But is this a political “reassurance clause”? And would they really join back once out? That is another matter entirely.
Anything else about Bolivia in American Media is about Sanabria’s drug bust.
Go Bolivia. There is a tremendous amount of support from citizens in the US that reject the “Empire” status. That’s the g’ment here, Empire does not apply to the real and good people in the US who understand and support your decision. You’ve been fooled once Bolivia, don’t be fooled twice by the absolute lies and empty promises.
And since the conservative g’ment in the Netherlands are closing coffee shops to tourists perhaps Bolivia would open up their tourist doors for chew leafs and cannabis clubs. Develop some “Tourist Rules to abide by” because I’m fairly certain the British screwed the Amsterdam thing up for everyone. (Plenty of heads were shaking and heavy sighs were witnessed when I was in Amsterdam over the british tourists.)
i Viva Evo ! Thanks to Bolivia for sticking it in our smug American imperialist faces. More please!
Bolivia can go far further in exposing the ‘drug war’ as a racketeering scheme to protect the most dangerous substances:
http://freedomofmedicineanddiet.blogspot.com/2011/03/drug-war-tobacco-pharma-agricultural.html
http://freedomofmedicineanddiet.blogspot.com/2011/04/coca-as-tobacco-habit-cure.html
http://freedomofmedicineanddiet.blogspot.com/2009/02/coca-come-back.html
Bolivia should insist upon Coca’s complete removal from the UN convention, thus allowing it as a wordwide commodity like Coffee etc.
Those opposing such deserve a tobacco cigar enema.
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I’ve always thought that they used pipe tobacco for a smoke enema. But when I reflect on how I got that idea it seems that it was a jumped too conclusion. Perhaps it’s my perception that the smokers of the day were pipe smokers. I can visualize Ben Franklin with a pipe in his hand but not a cigar.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobacco_smoke_enema
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tobacco_smoke_enema_device.jpg
I find it mind boggling trying to figure out why the heck smoke enemas became passé, but they did. Sometimes we need to just accept that some things are real even though they’re impossible to understand why.
sounds like someone is blowing smoke up your ass….:-)
…and the administration’s response? Hillary in Guatamala, promising more money (that we have..where?) for the Latin American War on Drugs:
http://justsaynow.firedoglake.com/2011/06/24/obama-administration-pledges-millions-more-for-drug-war-in-latin-america/
Loathing and disgust.
Sorry to do this to you on such a nice day… The death and destruction wrought be prohibition is a new shock to me each and every single day. Witness the new drug of substitution for Heroine in Russia, where our CIA has been flooding the market.
http://www.alternet.org/drugs/151422/the_living_dead%3A_why_thousands_of_russian_addicts_are_rotting_to_death/?page=entire
sorry to be pedantic but the word is “heroin”…. (Heroine is the female protagonist or hero of a story….)
Yes, and that’s a mistake I make alot (witness another of my common, repeated mistakes- a lot). And my wife is a professor who’s field is literacy, and has a doctorate in education as well as another in literature…she reads my posts and just shakes her head at this point. There’s no hope left for me. Relax, go with it, you got my drift….
Yess! Anytime the globalist scum at the u.n. get a slap in the face is a good day for humanity.
Umm they can not do this. It’s agenist international law.
so they just admitted they support cocaine trafficing and selling cociane to kids. We now have another terrorist country on the block.they are trying to undermind americans freedoms. time we put a stop to these drug trafficers,and their drug lord Mr.Morales . they just broke international law,so there for they are now public enemy #1. i say we just bomb em,it’s the american way. SAVE THE KIDS.
AGAINST
TRAFFICKING
COCAINE
UNDERMINE
….ha-ha…sorry Peter, I got here first!
😉
Tommy, you are out of your mind…unless there is supposed to be sarcasm in your post. difficult to tell…
They do not advocate drug trafficking…they are trying to preserve a century’s old custom.
NO one here advocates children using drugs unless supervised by a physician. They certainly do not advocate for children’s use of cocaine or any other drug.
You are the one trying to undermine America’s freedoms.
Withdrawing from the Single Convention does not make them criminals… the Single convention was shoved down their throats by the Empire of the United States. They are simply withdrawing from the convention, which is perfectly legal under National Sovereignty.
Besides, bombing anyone doesn’t do a damn bit of good except to kill innocents.
Pull you head out of your anal orifice.
I agrees withhimThere are many resonswhy drugs is bad. Drugsis dangerous everyone nows it becausethey are also illegal. Drugs have ruined many peoples.If you have a drug problem,you needs help.They effects to your body indifferent ways depending on what drug it is, but theyall are rottin teeth, shaking legs, hair and lung cancer, and many more.know they isvery contagious and large, lumps and bumps and things on your nob.
Troll or sarcasm?
No peeking over the urinal dividers, please.
I had to cover my mouth to keep from busting out laughing at work.
Thanks for your touching concern about people’s ‘nobs’.
ROFLMFAO
LMFAO! That is funny snarks, love your sense of humor.
Tommy and Doont only show their ignorance of the ”law” by their posting. It’s obvious neither have read the Treaty, or they’d know there’s a ”printed” method to ”’opt out.” Bolivia IS within it’s right to do so. Try reading t before you post next time.
Ahhh, there’s the rub…sarcasm? Or seriously deranged, marginally rational, frothing at the mouth nut-ball(like my dad)?
I’ve heard the exact same sorts of things from people who actually mean it
“I’ve heard the exact same sorts of things from people who actually mean it
.. and there’s me, thinking I was being original :>(
😉
Geez, that’s unebilevbale. Kudos and such.