¨She Don't Lie, She Don't Lie, She Don't lie, Cocaine.¨

One of the first things people think about when Colombia is mentioned is the world leader cocaine production. It was impossible to move around this country without thinking about it, being offered it, and looking for the influences (good and bad) that it has had on the country. Before leaving on one of the hiking days to the Teyuna there was a ¨double secret tour¨ from a local on cocaine producer. Before reading further I want to make it absolutely clear that although I did see and watch part of the process, this is in no way suppose to endorse using cocaine. If fact, if I have done my job well, the article will uninspire the reader to try the ¨party powder¨.

The history of cocaine is really interesting, and the more I read the crazier it gets. During our hike there were coca (the plant) farms everywhere. They were never immediately recognizable from the paths, but we could see whole hillsides covered with the guandu bean looking bush. Coca itself is not a dangerous substance. Dave and I have both chewed the leaves with lime like the locals all over S. America (it can also be turned into a tea), and the only thing that we noticed was it aliviated hunger, and it feels like you get a boost of energy. The Incas have also used it to help mitigate the effect of altitude sickness, and there are some have compared it to chewing tobacco. From my limited internet research there does not seem like the chewing the plant is dangerous, and there are cosmetic and non-drug chemical uses of coca internationally.

As soon as one begins to add chemicals and process the coca into cocaine is when laws are broken. We were taken to a lab deep in the jungle by a campesino (read: country bumpkin) where we were shown 100% of the process to make cocaine paste, and 95% of the process to make the more recognizable cocaine that is inhaled through the nose. We were told before we left the the price of the tour included a free sample if we wanted it. If I had had an interest in trying cocaine in any form before, I assure you that desire has been quelled. I don't understand all the chemistry that went into the process, but the guy who was making it was drunk to the point of incomprehension. Not to mention all the nasty chemicals that were added incluing: a paint powder base (for the calcium), sea salt, iodine based cleansing agent, caustic soda, bi-carbonate, gasoline, and sulfuric acid (that's right, de-oxidizing of steel, melt your skin on contact, SULFURIC ACID). I will admit that in carefully measured proportions the process could be safe, but when was the last time that a drug producer cared about the safety of the end user (or was sober)?

Most of the farm owners get the cocaine to paste form. The mafia controls the actual cocaine (for the nose) production. The paste sells for $1000-2000 per kilo and after a short process involving either acetone (fingernail polish remover) or ether yields a powdery white cocaine worth roughly 20-30 times the paste price.

Needless to say our guides insobriety was enough to scare me away from trying it right then, and all the poisons used to make the paste (which one must smoke) scared me away from wanting to try ever. It was a sobering experience, and I think I will stick with my drug of choice, beer.

A few facts about cocaine:
-1000 kg of leaves produce 1 kg of cocaine paste.
-95% purity is considered to be the upper limit of cocaine quality (5% of other chemicals listed above).
-Most drug dealers cut in aspirin into cocaine to get more product at a relatively cheap cost.
-Half a million people in the USA use cocaine weekly.
-Over 28-percent of all emergency room visitations for drugs involve cocaine.
-4 out of every 5 $100 bills has trace amounts of cocaine on it (although it is believed to be transfered easily from bill to bill instead of each bill being used to snort coke individually).