Andean countries brush off UN recommendation to criminalize chewing of coca leaves (AP)

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LIMA, Peru: Peru and Bolivia brushed off calls from a U.N.-affiliated drug watchdog to criminalize the chewing of coca leaves, a millennia-old tradition of indigenous populations in the Andes.

The International Narcotics Control Board released an annual report Wednesday that reminded the two governments that use and possession of coca leaves, the main ingredient in cocaine, are limited to medical and scientific purposes.

The report said that "coca leaf chewing should have been abolished" in those countries 25 years ago.

Representatives from Peru and Bolivia called the board's report disrespectful of indigenous traditions.

Coca leaves are still used in indigenous medicine and religious ceremonies. Andean people have chewed calcium-rich coca for thousands of years to stave off hunger and as a remedy for ailments from altitude sickness to stomach aches. Coca tea is served in offices in the Bolivian capital instead of coffee.