La Paz, December 4 (teleSUR-RHC)-- Bolivian President Evo Morales announced on Thursday that a team of experts from France was in the country to analyze the feasibility of industrializing coca leaves for medical purposes. 

"In these coming days scientists are arriving from France to propose how we can industrialize not cocaine, but rather medical drugs," said Morales, during an event in La Paz.

Morales said that during his visit to France earlier this month, experts in the field told him that the industrialization of the coca leaf could prove fruitful for medicinal purposes.

"Hopefully they will demonstrate that the coca leaf can be used to prevent cancer,” said Morales, who added that there was private-sector interest in the development of the medical potential of the coca leaf.

Morales is a former coca farmer and has pushed for international recognition of the leaf both as a natural medicinal product and as an ancestral rite. 

In their natural state, coca leaves are a mild stimulant, on par with caffeine, but they have been demonized due to their role as the primary ingredient in cocaine.

The consumption of the coca leaf for medical, ritual and traditional purposes is permitted in Bolivia, while the country has made dramatic strides in reducing the illicit production of coca leaves. 

A report by the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) and the Andean Information Network (AIN) released in August found that this decrease was mainly due to policies implemented by the Morales government. 

Instead of pursuing the militarized approach to eradication, a model promoted by the United States, Bolivia has instead sought to develop sustainable alternatives along with the cooperation of farmers.    

As a result, coca cultivation in Bolivia dropped 34 percent from 2010 to 2014, an accomplishment recognized by the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime in a report released during early 2015.