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THE CONDEMNED COCA LEAF

Source: NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

January 13, 2013

By Ricardo Cortés

One standard for a major soft drink, another for the native people of South America

Last week, the United Nations voted on an appeal by Bolivia to amend the international treaty that prohibits the chewing of coca leaf.

Bolivia won a partial victory — a tiny sign that the world may be ever so slowly coming to its senses on the insanely harsh treatment of this humble, mostly harmless plant and the people, mostly South American natives, who enjoy it in its raw form.

Coca chewing has been a ritual in the Andes for thousands of years, and it is practiced by millions of people throughout the continent today. Tourists to the highlands are offered coca tea to alleviate altitude sickness, and the plant’s mild stimulant properties have been known around the globe for centuries.

In March 2009, Bolivian President Evo Morales stood before the UN and discussed the history of coca use for purposes social, spiritual, medicinal and nutritional. Morales, a former coca farmer himself, then put a leaf in his mouth, sparking applause from the assembly.

The controversial stimulant in the plant, of course, is the alkaloid coca-ine , present in trace amounts to the coca chewer, giving users a boost of energy akin to a cup of coffee (which contains caffe-ine , another alkaloid that is potent in concentrated form).

When refined, the coca plant provides raw material for the production of the illicit drug cocaine, and in an effort to limit cultivation of the plant, even traditional usage has been banned by a worldwide decree.

That’s the problem: Efforts to kill the cocaine trade have haphazardly and heartlessly cracked down on anyone and everyone who produces or enjoys the unadulterated leaf. A 1961 agreement called the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, still in effect around the world, orders people to stop chewing the leaves and mandates the destruction of all wild coca bushes.

This fact might merely be unfortunate and overzealous — but, because of a wrinkle in United States history, it is also hugely hypocritical.

You see, the Single Convention was adopted after years of negotiations led in great part by Harry J. Anslinger, long-time commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. Best known today for his fervent campaign against marijuana, Anslinger had a strange relationship with the coca plant: spearheading its prohibition while simultaneously ensuring access to the leaf for a single, powerful consumer, The Coca-Cola Company.

For decades leading up to the signing of the Single Convention, Anslinger worked closely with Coca-Cola to procure a decocainized coca extract for the “secret formula” of the beverage. Cooperating with The Coca-Cola Company and Maywood executives, Anslinger was also their central ally in negotiations leading to the completion of the Single Convention agreement.

Indeed, as it was finally adopted, in addition to banning traditional use of coca leaves, the treaty contains a provision that allows use of the plant for the special purposes of The Coca-Cola Company.

Since 1903, Peruvian coca has made its way to a manufacturing plant in Maywood, New Jersey, at the behest of the beverage giant. Over the past century, thousands of tons of leaf have shipped to this discreet facility, where cocaine is removed from the plant and sold separately for medicinal purposes (in 1959, the site was acquired by Stepan Company, which maintains the business today).

This is the world we have created: We impose tough restrictions on farming and use of natural coca leaf by the people of South America, while simultaneously affording the privilege of using an altered version of the plant to an American corporation making billions of dollars off the very same leaf.

Of course, there is a distinction to be made between the chewing of coca leaf in South America and the recreational use of cocaine in the United States. But one can be vigorously against cocaine the narcotic — and the criminal enterprises it helps fuel — and still understand the pernicious effects of the blunt instrument that is the Single Convention.

It is time to address this long-standing error. Last week’s UN vote marked a small victory: While Bolivia was denied its continued efforts to amend the treaty, it was allowed to withdraw from the agreement and rejoin with an explicit reservation against the coca prohibitions.

That minimal, largely symbolic step is not enough. The U.S. should drop its continued challenges to Bolivia’s desire to cultivate a leaf so closely linked with the cultural identity of its people. That, or we should reconsider the global legal loophole that allows a huge American beverage company to use a plant that is categorically denied to its own native caretakers.

Cortes is the author of “A Secret History of Coffee, Coca & Cola” and the illustrator of “Go the F— to Sleep.”

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7 Responses

  1. Ådne

    THE CONDEMNED COCA LEAF
    Coca leaf is to me, an excellent natural medicine for “adhd”.
    Im happy to see the presence of Encod and their good work to promote the legal use of erythroxylum coca.

    • paita

      THE CONDEMNED COCA LEAF
      The coca leaf,in its natural,form and used in its natural form should be 10000 percent legal,,,I do not use ethanol/acid in my teas,,ever,,,and I doubt anyone else would put acid in there teas,,,paita

  2. paita

    THE CONDEMNED COCA LEAF
    pss,,,one quick other point..The United States own F.D.A.,,defines decocainized as .article 182.20,,code of federal regulation,[c.f.r.],,182.20=decocainized=E.S.O.,G.R.A.S.,,,Essential Oils,,’Solvent Free,”[ie no ethanol/acid],,General Recgonized as Safe,,those words ,”solvent free,” are a big deal,,,it proves that the f.d.a. knew/knows that cocaine is MADE by mankind,using solvents,,,thus ,”solvent free,”,would then mean,,,NOT MADE into cocaine…This article 182.20,,,was burried deep,,but it proves,,they knew all along,there never was cocaine IN the leaf,,but portrayed the propaganda it was and continue to do so threw sites like Wikipedia,how are now under contract w/,”our” governments to supply ,”definition’s for them..I have tried several times to correct this lie at wikipedia,,they censore it,,even w/actual statuet/law number,,chemical equation,facts,,They want the public to believe its IN the leaf,,and have done the propaganda to do so,,sadly very well,,thus ,”we” need to correct these lies,,,paita

  3. paita

    THE CONDEMNED COCA LEAF
    Well to reply to all concerning the demonization of the coca leaf a few errors need to be exposed.I correct these errors w/the simple hope that with the truth the coca leaf will be discussed in a clearer more knowledgeable manner,thus helping all who can make a living off of it and whom choose to consume it,thus bringing farmers,folks out of poverty.First off,the propaganda,”there’s cocaine IN the coca leaf is a lie.The facts are,”they” have never ever tested/extracted/used their gas spectrometers w/the actual coca leaf ALONE,EVER!The facts are ,”they” have always prior to testing/extracting used 2 chemicals on that leaf,then tested/extracted the ,”end product,” of the 3.In clearer terminology,ethanol+hydrochloric acid+ coca=benzoylecgonine,,not cocaine.Cocaine use to be defined and rightfully so,as a white cyrstalline powder.Around 2010 ,”our” government literally changed the definition of cocaine from a white crystalline powder to a alkaloid found IN THE coca leaf,this change falls into play with years of propaganda from our governments.The reason behind this change was the c.i.a. knew the Bolivians was going to launch a economic recovery for their countrymen useing traditional natural coca,and our government couldn’t allow them to enjoy the purse strings on that could they.Well getting back to the scientific facts here.Forever the coca leaf has been test/extracted useing these 2 chemicals BEFORE testing/extraction.My chemistry professor taught me,aLL OF chemistry is simple a recipe.A recipe useing the table of elements verses butter/sugar ,etc.U put together the ingredients/elements of acid+ethanol+coca=benzoylecgonine,not cocaine.Furthermore the gas spectrometer’s are factually designed ONLY to test chemical compounds,,the machine isn’t capable of testing organic,”solvent free,” materials alone,,its for chemical compounds only.Thus the reason why they most MAKE this benzoylecgonine first,then simple confirm its benzoylecgonine in the gas spectrometers..Even in our pee test,same thing..Before u even pee in that cup,or that ,”dip stick test,”they have put ,”reagants,” in that cup or ON that dip stick,,before u pee,,,Those reagants are ethanol and acid,,they MAKE this positive for benzoylecgonine,,seriously folks,,u don’t believe me,,,go buy a single ,”cocaine,”[ie benzoylecgonine making kit,] test dip stick test,,make a cup of coca tea,cold water,hot,,temperature does not matter,,let the tea set-up,,5 minutes,,then put that dip stick in the cup of tea,,NOO PEE NEEDED!!!!,,BINGO,,POSITIVE,,now how is that possible??Because they have put ethanol/acid on the end of that dip stick before u pee,,and the chemical reaction w/coca has made the positive.It proves it,not to mention the huge lie,,’U MUST OF CONSUMED COCAINE TO TEST POSITIVE,,ITS A LIE,PROPAGANDA,,, lets start cleasring up the lies,,let the truth out,,and help alot of hard working fellow humanbeing feed there kids,farm,whatever,,using traditional,natural,”solvent free,”coca,,,oh and I don’t know about you,but like me,I am guessing no-one who drinks tea in England puts acid or ethanol in their cup of tea’s,right,,,,yet that is the ,”how,” they are testing your pee,,and claiming positive for cocaine,,your government back test kits,,,just MADE it,,but really benzoylecgonine,,,amazing isn’t it,paita

    • encodAuthor

      THE CONDEMNED COCA LEAF
      Dear Hugh

      That’s what Coca Cola wants us to believe. What they did was to stop putting cocaine in the drink (since 1903 – as I have been told always). But the company continued to put coca leaves in it, – and even obtained permission from the United Nations to do so, see article 27 of the Single Convention of 1961 – for the purpose of producing the special flavour of thhe world’s most famous soft drink. And coca leaves contain cocaine. Of course Coca Cola maintains that the cocaine is removed from the leaves 100 % before the leaves are used, but any chemist will be able to explain you that it is impossible to guarantee a 100 % decocainisation without using chemicals that will turn the final product inapproriate for human consumption. So is there cocaine to be found in Coca Cola? Yes. In very very tiny amounts, but still it is cocaine.

      Joep

      • paita

        THE CONDEMNED COCA LEAF
        A chemist did explain it to me,and NO,,IT IS not cocaine!,,,it is a compound called benzoylecgonine,different molecular weight,different chemical formula,,Cocaine is a WHITE crystalline compound.It is time and long over due for the truth here..The original,”recipe” as we all know started w/a wine.A wine that ferments into alcahol,and contains a consciderable amount of natural acid via the grapes fermentation,,,now u have the ,”ethanol and the acid in very crude form,,,u combine the ethanol+acid+cocaleaf=benzoylecgonine,,,Now as u have already stated Coca Kola is a very corrupt company,,they are liers,soo they knew that the coca leaf could be used as 1 of the ingredients combined with chemicals for medical purposes..lidocaine,cocaine,numbing effects,,,so they saw a huge profit to be made here backin the late 1800’s..Why do u think Maywood Chemical,ie Merke is essentially right across the street from the coke cola plant,ehh???So your right,,they offered the government a piece of the pie,,a piece of the profit per sae by narking on some of the coca plantations,by tax dollars paid for thier new founded money machine,the coca leaf,,and all the medicines that use the coca molecule in there chemical recipes for lidocaine,cocaine,all the caines use in medicine today,,and your right,, back in the late 1800’s into they 1900’s they did use some molecule made from the chemical recipe involving the coca leaf,,benzoylecgonine,but today not so sure ..it can’t be,,,we have drug testing,and every drug test,ie benzoylecgonine making kits,,use ethanol and acid in them,,,if they still used natural coca,,,everyone would be comming up positive,,,by combining that ethanol+acid+coca =benzoylecgonine,,,so there ,”secret recipe,”’ now a days may not even use the actual coca leaf,,,they maybe simple keeping the SECRET that they solely import the coca leaf to make the profits from all the chemically made medicinal medicine made using the coca leaf molecule as part of a synthetic chemical recipe,,,hmmm???think about it,or is Merke giving back a synthetically made chemical compound like hygrine which is also made via the coca leaf useing different chemical recipe then ethanol and acid??,,we don’t test for hygrine in drug kits,,,,are government has proven,,,it lies to us on a regular bases,,why would this be any different??paita