On April 25, 2007, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) released U.S. estimates of coca cultivation and cocaine production in Bolivia for 2006. Coming in the wake of numerous U.S. references to rising coca cultivation in Bolivia, it is noteworthy that ONDCP reported that coca cultivation in 2006 was “statistically unchanged as compared to the 2005 estimate” and that “[c]ocaine potential production remained unchanged … from 2005 to 2006.” ONDCP’s announcement indicates that the Morales administration’s policy of limited coca production for licit uses, in conjunction with cooperative coca reduction, may be delivering better results than forced eradication in containing coca production in Bolivia. Read WOLA and the Andean Information Network's memo analyzing the ONDCP numbers.
