Highland coca growers have blocked roads near Lake Titicaca since January in an effort to force the government to allow coca cultivation for domestic, non-cocaine, use. The leaf has been grown in the area for centuries and is chewed as a mild stimulant and used in religious ceremonies. Dozens of vehicles have been stranded in the area. Roadblocks also have been staged in the Chapare and Yungas regions for several weeks, and clashes have occurred there between protesters and police, leading to 12 deaths. After authorities agreed to allow the legal domestic sale of coca, some of these roadblocks were lifted.
