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Bolivians and other indigena peoples living in the Andes have been chewing coca leaves for centuries to combat altitude sickness, aid digestion and suppress hunger and fatigue.
But the U.S. will file a formal objection to Bolivia's proposal to end the UN's 50 year ban on coca leaf-chewing even if coca leaves have strong cultural and religious value in the region.
The Bolivian government says that a UN treaty requirement that coca-chewing be phased out within 25 years after it took effect in 1964 was based on a "blatantly racist" 1950 report.
