If people make a plant product into candy, chocolates, and tea, can it really be all that bad?
Well, if you’re U.S. Customs, yes, but for people in the Andes, the coca leaf is life.
If you don’t process it into white powder, the coca leaf is a pretty innocent little item. Our heavy handed government can’t make the distinction, of course, so if you bring the items pictured here back in your suitcase, you could get into trouble and be delayed. This is something I wrote about after my last visit to Peru: The Coca Plant Paradox .
It seems so comical because you see coca tea nearly everywhere in Peru, including at the swankiest hotels in Cusco and Arequipa. All the porters chew the leaves, as do most farmers and construction workers. They don’t get high. They just get energized. (There’s no real buzz from coca leaf chewing, just heightened energy and alertness.)
I guess I’ll just enjoy my coca candy and coca tea while hiking through the Andes, then revert back to heavy doses of coffee once I’m home.
