A practical guide on how to regulate cocaine: social justice and public health at the heart of a regulation model
Together with Los Boticarios Podcast we’ve interviewed Steve Rolles, senior drug policy analyst for Transform Drug Policy Foundation, who wrote a practical guide on how to regulate cocaine. “We’ll put social justice at the heart of our thinking. We don’t want to reproduce the inequalities of prohibition in a legal market within the production chain.” Read the interview with Steve Rolles on how regulation is able to create a humane and sustainable alternative.
The false image of drug interceptions being a succes…
At the beginning of each year, customs of harbors and airports announce their annual amount of cocaine seized the previous year. For some, like the head of customs of the port of Rotterdam, these records are a reason for a ‘feestje’, a party. While these great amounts seem like a success, these major interceptions are merely very local and temporary gains. It really is just wasted precious land. It is time for a constructive policy, in which humanity and sustainability are leading, instead of high scores and repressive measures. Read more…
Cocaine consumption during lockdown
How does the lockdown influence the consumption of cocaine?
On the 1st of July Fair Trade Coke launched the survey ‘Cocaine use during Covid-19’. The objective of this study, is to obtain a clearer image of cocaine use during the COVID-19 lockdown. With this survey we aim to research if the lockdown measures in the Netherlands, that took place between the 16th of March and the 1st of June, have any effect on the consumption of cocaine. You can read our results here.
Are you looking for fair trade cocaine? Unfortunately, we have to disappoint you. There is no fair trade cocaine.
The War on Drugs and its repressive policy cause many problems in the global South. The War on Drugs has failed; despite prohibition the demand and supply keep increasing. Prohibition has led to an enormous increase of crime and violence, in the global South as well as in the global North. Furthermore, it has caused marginalization and displacement of vulnerable communities and its eradication efforts has caused severe environmental damage, like deforestation and intoxicating soil and water.
Fair Trade Coke is a foundation that researches and promotes a humane and sustainable alternative for the War on Drugs. In order to achieve an ecological and human rights based approach, we’ve created six objectives.
Coca is a healthy plant! It contains a lot of minerals, vitamins and phosphor and has medicinal values. So why are we destroying the plant? And why are we criminalizing the people who cultivate a sacred plant that is so beneficial for our health?
As Fair Trade Coke deems an international market of coca products a constructive alternative towards tackling violence and corruption, we should make use of the possibilities of the plant, rather than focus on the dangers of coca (in other words: producing cocaine). Therefore, it is important to acknowledge and celebrate the knowledge and practice of coca farmers. Being cultivators of a nutritious plant with medicinal values, coca farmers are actual heroes! Thus: cocalero heroes.
