The first phase of Plan C – for a worthy and sovereign export of the coca leaf - concluded with a meeting in la Paz on 19 October 2010, attended by 12 people, among them representatives of academic institutions, enterprises, coca leaf producers, the National Senate, the Bolivian government and Encod.

We are in the final fase of preparations of the meeting of 23 September which we will organise in collaboration with the Commission Coca and Territory of the Bolivian Senate.

We count with 40 participants, among others representatives of coca leaf producers, entrepreneurs with experience in the commercialisation of derivates, experts in several disciplines, Bolivian parliament members and authorities and representatives of embassies. Among others David Choquehuanca, minister of Foreign Affairs, Germán Loza, viceminister of Coca and Integral Development and Felipe Cáceres, viceminister of Social Defense as well as Julio Salazar, president of the Commission on Coca and Territory will intervene.

People around the world are speaking and acting against the war on drugs. They challenge both the social stigma and legal consequences when publically questioning the corruption, legal insecurity and discrimination that is caused by the war on drugs. We ask you to support them.

The problem is essentially of an economic nature, and it can only be resolved within the economic context. To reach a sustainable solution it is necessary to create considerable perspectives for the development of the legal economy in the affected regions.

The coca leaf plays a crucial role in this process, because when the legal demand for this product increases, the illegal demand will loose its attraction.

In the first place the possibility should be investigated to import coca leaf derivates from Bolivia using the same margins as are currently employed by Coca Cola and other companies that commercialize their products in Europe. Secondly, we should find ways to avoid the international legislation that penalizes the consumption of coca leaves and their derivates outside Bolivia and Peru. In these countries consumption is allowed due to cultural motives. We would have to prove that those cultural motives do not disappear when crossing the border.