Belize is Making Beer From Coca, Plants Used To Make Cocaine

It is no secret that the crop known as coca, ever-abundant in South America, is the main ingredient in making cocaine. However, Belize has found a more legal use for the crop, and that is using it to brew some coca beer.

While in other countries, coca plants usually get burned down so the crops would not be used to make cocaine, in La Paz, Bolivia, locals are gathering them to make coca-infused alcohol, and according to the Associated Press, this is being done with the full blessing of the Bolivian government.

Coca leaves are harvested and sent to the government-authorized El Viejo Roble distillery in La Paz where they get steeped in water, much like what they would do in a clandestine cocaine lab somewhere in Colombia or Mexico. Instead, however, the liquid would be used to infuse with beer.

Bolivia, which itself has had a checkered history with cocaine, was also known to supply the crops for these cocaine producers. With the crackdown on these plants all over South America, a recent landmark decision by the World Health Organization to study coca's non-narcotic benefits has now given hope to coca farmers who wish for their crops to be used for more legal purposes.

"Exporting is a desire that my people and I have had since I was a child," Lizzette Torrez, leader of one of Bolivia's main coca-grower unions, told the Associated Press.

Thanks to the WHO, coca growers are scrambling for other uses for their crops. With more legitimacy, these farmers and businessmen now dream of going global and having their coca beer and other products spearhead the changing landscape.

Bolivia is the third-largest coca producer on Earth, and many in the country are hoping that minds will get changed as to how they view the crop, which they believe is more than an ingredient for illegal narcotics.

El Viejo Roble is producing the coca beer which is priced at around $2 and the distillery is planning to give it a sweeter touch, with El Viejo Roble manager Adrian Alvarez explaining to the AP, "Beer can be bitter, but with the sweet touch that we give it with coca makes it is more palatable."

Bolivia Brewery Also Selling Coca Vodka and Rhum

For now, El Viejo Roca is selling the coca-infused beer along with coca-flavored vodka and rum, which have been serving to the government and visitors for quite some time already.

The brewery is also selling these coca-infused products at a limited capacity, though, often in artisanal fairs in Bolivia and Peru, countries where the crop is still legal as long as it is not used to make cocaine.

Bolivia Government Pushing Against Stigma Regarding Coca

Because of its status as the main ingredient in cocaine, coca has gotten a bad reputation all over the world. However, since coca has proven to be a very important crop in Bolivia, the government has been working to destigmatize the crop for decades.

The country is seeking to create a global market for coca liquor, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, baking flour, and more, with Bolivia seeing a possibility of this happening. It is currently studying various possibilities with Colombia over using the crop for medicinal and nutritional purposes.

However, the question remains: even with the WHO backing it, would other countries bite?

READ MORE: Bolivia: 5 of the Weirdest Dishes Served in This Country

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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