Alexander Pannett 11.15am The fecund lands of Latin America have
always attracted interest in their abundant resources. From
mines to agriculture, the region is particularly rich with
potential for human development. In recent decades, the coca
leaf has been one of the more infamous products to have
dominated the region’s trade. Used as a constituent of Bolivian
tea, as well as a mild, traditional stimulant when chewed, it is
now most widely used for producing cocaine. Consequently, the
USA has insisted that the coca leaf’s cultivation be banned,
which has antagonised Bolivians who see the use of the coca leaf
as an important part of their national identity. At the same
time, demand from America and the wider West for cocaine has
soared. This has driven cultivation and the huge profits it
generates into the arms of organised crime. For four decades,
the “War on Drugs” has been fought by the USA and its allies
against organised crime’s stranglehold of the illegal drugs
industry. There has been only limited suc