During a hike in the Andes and crossing a pass, coca leaves can be added to piles of stones, as an alternative to a rock and better in line with the “Leave No Trace” philosophy. Step Five: Cocaine is dissolved in a solvent such as ethyl acetate, acetone or ether and then heated in a hot water bath called “bańo maria”. Another solvent such as methyl ethyl ketone is added to the boiling liquid with concentrated hydrochloric acid, resulting in the crystallization of cocaine hydrochloride. Although also known as mate, coca mate has very little in common with yerba mate drink in southeastern South America. Step One: Cocaine is usually processed in jungle labs by first dipping the leaves in gasoline in metal barrels. The author`s observations in the Sierra with Smedley`s dynamometer show that the average strength values of coca addicts ranged from 28 to 32 kilograms, while similar experiments conducted with medical students from Lima gave average values between 40 and 45 kilograms. If we remember that in the case of the squatting, the experiment was carried out while they were under the stimulating influence of coca, and that they were people who, because of their profession, should have been better able to exercise muscles, we are surprised by the low indices obtained compared to those obtained for the group of students. who, in addition to not being under the influence of a drug, were people whose work was essentially intellectual. As we will see, the difference is mainly due to the fact that the group of students was well fed, while the squatting lived on diets that were both qualitatively and quantitatively deficient. Freebase Cocaine: In the late 1970s, freebasing, a method of smoking cocaine, coincided with an increase in cocaine abuse.
The effects of freebasing are faster and stronger for the user, which makes this form of abuse more popular. From the Bolivian point of view, the international community has a historic opportunity to correct a misunderstanding about the chewing of coca leaves by deleting the two paragraphs of the Single Convention. This action will restore the dignity and legitimate right of people who consume coca leaves for traditional and medicinal purposes to legally practice this cultural and harmless practice. Today, Colombian groups produce 70 to 80 percent of the world`s cocaine, which is made from locally grown coca plants and cocaine-based plants imported from Peru and Bolivia. Colombia produces an estimated $400 million worth of cocaine every week. Of particular concern is the use of smokable cocaine paste (PBC, Paco, Bazuco or crack in Latin America), as opposed to free-base cocaine and crack cocaine, which is made from cocaine in the United States and Europe. The staple paste of smokable cocaine is harmful and addictive. When sharing homemade pipes, which are often part of the ritual of using cracks, crack users have sores on their lips and gums and are susceptible to diseases such as herpes, tuberculosis, hepatitis, and HIV/AIDS. The increase in coca production and consumption began with the conquest; and more than 8,500 tons are now produced in Peru each year. This huge amount of coca contains more than 42,500 kilograms of cocaine, of which at least 35,000 are consumed while chewing.
The elimination of the feeling of hunger is one of the characteristic effects of coca addiction and the most important reason why the inhabitants of the Andes contract this habit. Emilio Ciuffardi Dosis de alcaloides que ingieren los habituados a la coca, Revista de Farmacología y Medicina Experimental, T 1, pp. 81 and 216, 1948. [5] [6] Its use is partly discouraged by the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. Coca tea is illegal in the United States unless it is deconcainized. [4] Coca, grown mainly in Colombia, Peru and Bolivia, is a highly addictive drug that is processed in jungle laboratories where coca is extracted from the leaves to make cocaine. Until the early 1900s, cocaine was widely used as an anesthetic in Western medicine because it had a numbing ability. However, in the 1970s, cocaine resurfaced as an expensive, abused, high-status drug.
Cocaine use has increased in the United States as its forms have begun to vary and it has become more widely available and cheaper. Many myths surround coca. Every day, press articles around the world use the word coca in their headlines, even though they refer to cocaine. TNI`s Drug and Democracy team reveals the myths and reality surrounding the coca leaf. Another argument in favor of coca is based on its supposedly stimulating effect on muscle work. In this context, reference is made to experiments conducted at high altitude on people who, under the action of coca, undertook a muscular effort greater than that of the inhabitants of the plains. In this context, it is sufficient to recall that the effect of cocaine on labour production and the ability of cocaine to amplify certain humorous reactions that tend to increase this production are perfectly established facts; and while it is true that chewing coca leaves reduces fatigue and, by exerting a stimulating effect, can increase performance at work in the short period of time of a particular experiment, this result in no way shows that coca addicts are able to do more work and achieve a higher yield in the time required for their usual tasks. and much less than they have a greater capacity for work than people who do not consume coca and receive proper nutrition. The rituals vary, but traditionally in Peru you take three leaves, hit them by facing the path you have taken (as a sign of gratitude), then again in view of the path you are walking (as a request for safe passage), then again before placing them in the cairn and saying a prayer to the earth goddess Pachamama.
In the case of coca addiction, the effects it produces are really important, whether it is a typical case of drug addiction or not, and if people insist on considering it a habit, it is absolutely necessary to specify that it is a harmful habit. Similar to decaffeination in coffee, coca tea can be decocainé. [4] Just as decaffeinated coffee contains a small amount of caffeine, decomposed coca tea still contains a small amount of organic coca alkaloids. [4] 2. What is its relationship with cocaine? While the coca leaf in its natural form is a harmless and gentle stimulant comparable to coffee, there is no doubt that cocaine can be extracted from the coca leaf. Without coca, there would be no cocaine. The “ability to easily extract” cocaine from coca leaves is currently the main argument for justifying the current illegal status of the leaf in the 1961 Single Convention. The alkaloid content of cocaine in coca leaves is between 0.5 and 1.0%.
Rough estimates show that in Peru, at least 17,000 hectares of land are used exclusively for coca cultivation and no more than 21,000 hectares for vegetable cultivation. The area used for coca production is probably larger, as there are plantations whose location in the mountains makes inspection very difficult and sometimes impossible. [17] Preparing cocaine for sale: A scale, razor blade and sieve are tools commonly used by cocaine traffickers in the preparation of cocaine for sale on the street. Cocaine excretion through urine has also been shown to be greater among non-drug addicts in coastal districts. It is likely that more cocaine molecules have broken down in coca leaf addicts. However, in non-addicts and addicts, the maximum excretion of cocaine takes place in the first hour after chewing. First of all, it is said that coca is essential for the acclimatization of man to high altitudes, and that if coca leaves are not chewed in many South American countries, it is because these countries do not contain the altitudes found in the Peruvian Andes. While it is true that the greatest heights are found in Peru and Bolivia, it is also true that other American countries have high-altitude population centers and the habit of coca is completely unknown there. We will give some examples provided to us by the Department of Geography at the University of Wisconsin (United States of America).
Ecuador has population centers at more than 4,000 meters above sea level, such as Chuquipoquio northeast of Riobamba and the villages of Antisana southeast of Quito.