Cocaine leaves are derived from the coca plant native to which group of countries?

Cocaine leaves are derived from the coca plant native to which group of countries?

• A. Peru, Bolivia, and Colombia
• B. Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras
• C. Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam
• D. Turkey, Iran, and Iraq

Answer: (A)

Coca leaves come from a plant that is native to the Andean highlands of western South America. This region includes Peru, Bolivia, and Colombia, where the plant has long grown wild and been cultivated by Indigenous communities for centuries. The other grouped regions—Central America (Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras), Southeast Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam), and the Middle East (Turkey, Iran, Iraq)—are not native coca-growing areas. So the country group where coca is traditionally found is the Andean trio: Peru, Bolivia, and Colombia.

Coca leaves come from a plant that is native to the Andean highlands of western South America. This region includes Peru, Bolivia, and Colombia, where the plant has long grown wild and been cultivated by Indigenous communities for centuries. The other grouped regions—Central America (Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras), Southeast Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam), and the Middle East (Turkey, Iran, Iraq)—are not native coca-growing areas. So the country group where coca is traditionally found is the Andean trio: Peru, Bolivia, and Colombia.