Collegium Helveticum
event_akle_web
ZT-00079984 by United Herbaria Z+ZT / CC BY 4.0
Workshop

Hidden Deep
Demystifying the Coca-Plant for Science and Beyond

Informations

This is a public event. Participation is free of charge and registration is not required.

The coca plant has a unique position as an ancient medicinal plant. Its healing properties have been passed down orally for generations among the indigenous cultures of the Andes. Regrettably, for the past five decades, it has also become inextricably linked to illegal drug trafficking. The misuse of one of its alkaloids, cocaine, has cast a shadow over the way this specimen is viewed when it comes to research and has hindered the study of its beneficial medicinal applications. This workshop wants to open up a discussion on the coca plant’s potentials, linking up with a growing interest in reevaluating the benefits of psychoactive substances through controlled scientific research and careful analysis.In this colloquium, participants from various disciplines will discuss the possibilities and implications of using and researching the coca plant to gain insights on psychoactive substances and help navigate their stigma.


Program

15:00

Opening and welcome remarks

Veronika Akle
Collegium Helveticum

15:10

Political and Regulatory Challenges for Coca Research in Colombia

Maria Alejandra Velez
Director Center for Studies on Security and Drugs (CESED)
Universidad de los Andes (Colombia)

15:40

On-site presentation

Johanna Jacobi
Department of Environmental Systems Science
ETH Zurich

16:10

The Meaning of Reclaiming Coca: Reconciliation, Innovation, Collective Imagination

Carmen Posada
Advocate for Futuro Coca, Madrid

16:30

Coffee break

16:40

Kuka: The New Horizons of the Coca Plant–The Food of the Spirits

Screening of documentary
Written and directed by Ricardo Arango Cadavid

17:00

Workshop “How Deep to Go”

17:30

Closing remarks

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