Coca

Coca production in Colombia ticked upward last year after four straight years of declines, the UNODC said in a new report. It's still way down from its peak, though.

A bill that would decriminalize drug crop cultivation in Colombia has passed a first reading in the lower house, but the government opposes it.

Some Colombian congressmen want to decriminalize coca and marijuana production in a bid to drive down prices and encourage farmers to plant other crops.

Bolivian President Evo Morales told the UN Commission on Narcotics Drugs Monday that Bolivians have the right to chew coca leaves. Bolivia wants the leaf removed from the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, and has rejoined the treaty only with a reservation that it recognizes traditional coca use.

The International Narcotics Control Board is "concerned" that Bolivia is rejecting part of an international anti-drug treaty, but two prominent NGOs said the INCB is off base in its criticisms.

Peru's drug czar has been fired for being insufficiently enthusiastic about eradicating coca crops.

We go around the world to find the most important international drug policy stories of 2011.

No "Frankenfungi" for the drug warriors just yet -- we don't know enough about the dangers of using mycoherbicides to eradicate drug crops to be doing that, a panel of scientists from the National Research Council says.

Bolivia has restored diplomatic relations with the US after throwing out the DEA and the US ambassador three years ago, but the DEA is not welcome back.