ID PC 254d ago

At the 48th session of the WHO’s Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD), the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) called for the full descheduling of the coca leaf from international drug control. The intervention reminded WHO experts that the leaf — long used by Indigenous Peoples for medicinal, nutritional, and spiritual purposes — poses no health risks. Its inclusion in the 1961 UN drug convention was a historical mistake, rooted in colonial prejudice and ignorance. IDPC’s statement also highlighted the human rights and environmental harms caused by forced eradication in coca-growing regions, and the urgent need to align global drug policy with science, equity, and Indigenous knowledge. Ending the criminalisation of the coca leaf is not just good policy — it’s overdue justice. Full statement and more information at: http://idpc.net/news/2025/10/descheduling-the-coca-leaf-is-overdue-justice-idpc-statement-to-the-48th-meeting-of-who-s-ecdd