Ah, cocaine – it’s that curious, white, powdery substance first isolated from the innocent coca leaf by German chemist Albert Nieman in 1860, then later made famous by notorious Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar.
Whether you’ve taken it or not, we are all familiar with the crystallised drug. It’s been the sole focus of all your favourite gangster films, the inspiration for countless rap and rocks songs and of course, the cause of many, many health, societal and governmental controversies.
Coke or cocaine hydrochloride as the finished, bagged up product is scientifically known as, has been around in one form or another for absolutely ages. Interestingly, the coca plant is one of the oldest cultivated plants in its native South America so naturally, people over there have known all about the plants natural ,stimulating effects for hundreds of years.
Ancient Amazonian and Inca tribes were known to chew the coca leaves until they became a thick paste in the mouth, which they would then suck on for an energizing effect – yum! It sounds gross, I know, but dried coca leavescontain about 1% of cocaine, so this age-old practice was probably the ancient equivalent to what having a cup of coffee is to us now.
Luckily, for the ancient Incans (and the people of South America that still chew them), coca leaf consumption is practically harmless. Chowing down on coca leaves hasn’t been found to be addictive and there are no, known adverse side effects that come with it. Unfortunately, however, the same cannot be said for the coca leaves processed, powdered pal – cocaine hydrochloride.
So, it’s bad news for all my fellow plant eaters out there, cocaine isn’t vegan!
We all knew doing coke wasn’t good for your health but turns out skiing the white slopes isn’t good for wildlife or the environment either, in fact – it’s terrible!
Usually grown on dense, jungle hilltops for their fertile land and much needed cover from police and local authorities; cocaine production is responsible for a significant amount of deforestation in countries like Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Venezuela.
The sad truth about cocaine production is that it absolutely decimates the surrounding environment, and not just because a couple trees are cut down in the process. In order to make powdered coke, the active chemical has to be processed from the coca leaf using either solvent or acid extraction.
The time, effort, risk and general faff that it takes to make cocaine is also why it’s so expensive. Volatile, toxic and just generally nasty chemicals like caustic soda, bleach, gasoline, diesel and even kerosene (that’s jet fuel) are all used in this dangerous and lengthy extraction process, but it doesn’t end there.
Sadly, all the unneeded, non-profitable waste chemicals that go into the process are then usually dumped into local bodies of water poisoning fish, land animals and humans alike.
Before production even happens though, cocaine farmers have to clear the land to begin cultivating their cash crop and for them to do that, they use a number of illegal herbicides and pesticides. When the land has been rid of all other fauna, the negative impact of these chemicals doesn’t stop.
One of the main reasons these herbicides are illegal is because they damage the very soil on which they’re put, once they’ve been used, barely anything can grow on that land again – except for coca, of course.
For ethical vegans, this then presents an issue. If you’ve gone all this time not eating meat, buying cruelty free products and not wearing leather, then should you r_eally_ be snorting any of that booger sugar, all things considered?
When you think of the environmental footprint of cocaine production,on a global scale – the damage is both undeniable and immense. That’s not even taking into account the countless fatalities, broken families, health issues, physical, mental and emotional distress that excessive cocaine use can lead to.
Now, before any of you vegan’s yell at me for being like everyone else and holding you to a higher standard of morality than everyone else, let me finish…
I’m well aware lot of the things we all know, love and partake in every day have sinister and unethical origins and backgrounds, take the smartphone or laptop you’re currently reading this on for example; it contains copper - likely sourced from a mine in the Congo, and even more likely dug up by a massively overworked and underpaid miner.
The wedding ring you may or may not have on your finger right now could also be a blood diamond; found by a Sierra Leonean child labourer perhaps. Or maybe it’s your favourite cheap, sarcastic slogan t-shirt that was lovingly stitched together in an over-cramped sweatshop somewhere in South Asia.
As much as you may try, it’s practically impossible to lead a completely ethical, cruelty free life, I can hear you telling yourself – 'what’s me abstaining from half gram of coke really going to change?' You ask.
Well, nothing - but if that isn’t enough to pull at your plant-based heart strings and make you want to put down that rolled up £20 note in your hand, then maybe the fact that cocaine also contains lactose will. :)
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.