Jyl Hoyt recently visited Peru, and prepared this piece about efforts there to legalize the coca leaf. Coca, which produces the base substance of cocaine, is banned by the United Nations. Farmers in Peru argue that the leaf itself is no more addictive than a couple of cups of coffee. They say they ought to be able to use the leaf in products like tea or toothpaste, and if coca were legalized, they would no longer have to sell the leaf illegally to drug dealers.
Copyright 1996 NPR