In the 'matter of degree' alluded to by Shambles, no. But it is just a matter of degree. Not a matter of 'not changing your understanding, thought processes'.
The reverence, and I use that word purposely and purposefully, afforded to coca leaf in both Peru and Bolivia is testament (geddit?) to the massive importance the cultures attach to its positive mind-changing properties. Only an uneducated fool, perhaps a Raas, could ignore or deny that. Imagine the strength of feeling it takes to defy UN (for which read US) based edicts on drugs. Imagine having whole museums in your country dedicated to something that is illegal in the rest of the world. That dedication comes through cultural knowledge and suffering. Hundreds of years of it. It's hard to give up a known truth.
I have three stories that come immediately to mind from my travels in Peru and Bolivia related to this. First, sitting down to breakfast in a B&B in Puno, Peru, with an old couple from Sheffield, also travelling, to see their daughter. Mr Sheffield, in the country for a month, could not start the day without his coca tea. He was a convert from the first cup. This is a 60 year old man, as straight as they come, I'm talking about. A man with the ailments of ageing. A man who had found a psychoactive (ban them!) cure.
Second, going to dinner on a beach, Copacabana, Bolivia. A 70-80 year old woman who is to cook our lunch. She only serves one thing. On the 3rd attempt we gather the word "Trucha" (trout) coming from her mouth. Why so long to understand? Because she has a mouth full of coca and lime. At that age. Ban her!
The third. On Isla del Sol on Lake Titicaca. Climbing down from the mountain we meet a woman climbing up. She must be 90. She has a bag of goods on her back, frankly because women do all the hard work in S America (like everywhere else then). And again, in ridiculously oppressive heat she is doing this, not coincidentally, with a mouth full of coca leaves she pulls from her pocket. Ban her too!
I lied. There are four. Ourselves, on top of Machu Picchu waiting for the cloud to clear, recovering in the altitude thin air. With mouthfulls of coca and lime sold at the bottom that saved the day. Not the greatest picture of me but,
Ban this filth now.
![:\](https://bluelight.org/xf/BL_Images/Orig_Emoji/wrygrin.gif "wry grin :\")
