Bolivian leader to legalize coca plots

President Evo Morales said Saturday that he plans to make it legal for Bolivia's farmers to grow small parcels of coca plants.

Morales, who also heads a coca growers association, said he wants to permit individual farmers to cultivate coca plots of 40 meters by 40 meters (130 feet by 130 feet). Coca leaf is the key ingredient of cocaine.

The president predicted the measure will be enacted, noting he won re-election Dec. 6 with 64 percent of the vote and commands a strong majority in the national legislature.

Morales said Bolivia's anti-drug laws allow the cultivation of a total of 12,000 hectares (29,640 acres) of coca for traditional uses, but make no provision for what individual farmers can grow.

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