Bolivia's president Evo Morales has heralded his nation's victory after a UN decision on chewing the coca leaf.
'It was only 15 countries..who objected. But the other 169 countries supported us', Al Jazeera quoted Mr Morales as saying.
Bolivia has been allowed to return to the United Nations' main anti-narcotics treaty, after winning an opt-out allowing its population to keep chewing the leaves of the coca plant.
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Bolivia withdrew from the UN Convention on Narcotic Drugs last year in protest over the coca leaf being labeled an illegal drug.
Chewing coca leaves is a centuries' old tradition in Bolivia. The leaf is also the raw ingredient for cocaine.
President Evo Morales has been to international conferences protesting the ban. Now the UN has come up with a plan allowing Bolivia to rejoin the convention, with a "reservation" regarding coca leaf chewing.
Re-accession to the treaty would be allowed provided fewer than a third of the convention's 183 member states objected.
A UN spokesman, Eduardo del Buey, said that 15 countries had objected to Bolivia's optout in the 12 month consultations which ended Thursday.
He named them as the United States, Britain, Sweden, Italy, Canada, France, Germany, Russia, Netherlands, Israel, Finland, Portugal, Ireland, Japan and Mexico.
"We oppose Bolivia's reservation and continue to believe it will lead to a greater supply of cocaine," a senior U.S. State Department official, told the Associated Press, ABC America reported.
