coca
noun
co·ca ˈkō-kə 
1
: any of several South American shrubs (genus Erythroxylon, family Erythroxylaceae)
especially : one (E. coca) that is the primary source of cocaine
2
: dried leaves of a coca (especially Erythroxylon coca) containing alkaloids including cocaine
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Petro could find an ally in Bolivia, where in the early 2000s the government of Evo Morales began allowing farmers to legally grow coca in limited quantities. 
Diana Durán, Washington Post, 20 Aug. 2022 In Colombia, coca production has increased despite the peace deal signed by the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. New York Times, 4 Dec. 2021 His efforts to encourage smallholder farmers to switch from growing coca plants for the illicit drug trade to planting legal crops such as coffee have been stymied by the latter’s thirst for fertilizer. Laura Reiley, Washington Post, 14 July 2022 For years, Washington and Colombia have shared close relations on a wide variety of issues, including immigration, combatting drug trafficking, carrying out coca eradication in Colombia’s highlands and standing up to its neighbor, Venezuela. Tracy Wilkinsonstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2022 Like Petro, Hernández has also opposed coca crop destruction and voiced support for legalizing marijuana. Conor Finnegan, ABC News, 30 May 2022 Some of the women spin cotton; the spiritual leaders, mostly men, sit under starry skies to chew coca leaves in silent communion. Carolina Schneider Comandulli, Scientific American, 23 Apr. 2022 Drug traffickers would clear swaths of forest, establish coca plantations and try to recruit local youths as drug couriers. Carolina Schneider Comandulli, Scientific American, 23 Apr. 2022 But this town, hours from any major city, is one of many where sustainable alternatives never arrived, and coca still dominates. New York Times, 20 Apr. 2022 See More
Diana Durán, Washington Post, 20 Aug. 2022 In Colombia, coca production has increased despite the peace deal signed by the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. New York Times, 4 Dec. 2021 His efforts to encourage smallholder farmers to switch from growing coca plants for the illicit drug trade to planting legal crops such as coffee have been stymied by the latter’s thirst for fertilizer. Laura Reiley, Washington Post, 14 July 2022 For years, Washington and Colombia have shared close relations on a wide variety of issues, including immigration, combatting drug trafficking, carrying out coca eradication in Colombia’s highlands and standing up to its neighbor, Venezuela. Tracy Wilkinsonstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2022 Like Petro, Hernández has also opposed coca crop destruction and voiced support for legalizing marijuana. Conor Finnegan, ABC News, 30 May 2022 Some of the women spin cotton; the spiritual leaders, mostly men, sit under starry skies to chew coca leaves in silent communion. Carolina Schneider Comandulli, Scientific American, 23 Apr. 2022 Drug traffickers would clear swaths of forest, establish coca plantations and try to recruit local youths as drug couriers. Carolina Schneider Comandulli, Scientific American, 23 Apr. 2022 But this town, hours from any major city, is one of many where sustainable alternatives never arrived, and coca still dominates. New York Times, 20 Apr. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Spanish, from Quechua kuka
First Known Use
1670, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Medical Definition
coca
noun
co·ca ˈkō-kə
1
: any of several South American shrubs (genus Erythroxylon of the family Erythroxylaceae)
especially : one (E. coca) that is the primary source of cocaine
2
: dried leaves of a coca (as Erythroxylon coca) containing alkaloids including cocaine