What is in British Cocaine? (Vice)

[isthisincognito]

Cocaine is everywhere. Consumption of amphetamines and ecstasy might be on the decline, but as your macerated nostrils will tell you, cocaine use is not. And just like any other business, drug manufacturers are on the eternal quest for profit optimisation, splicing your gak with all manner of unsavoury additives. But do you know what the lines on your CD case actually consist of? We didn’t, so we asked Kim Gosmer, a chemist specialising in narcotic samples, to share his wisdom.

I specialised in cocaine research during my time at the Section for Toxicology and Drug Analysis at the Department of Forensic Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark. The cocaine I worked with included everything from small, impure street samples to high-grade bricks straight from the source. The latter was the most interesting, as it revealed the “science” used to enhance the effect of cocaine by adding adulterants. Most people know that cocaine is often diluted with fillers like as sugars and creatine, and that these dilutions are disguised with caffeine, lidocaine or benzocaine to mimic the stimulating and local anaesthetic properties of cocaine. But only a few are aware that even more chicanery goes into what ends up in your wrap.

Levamisole is an anthelmintic drug, meaning it can be used to kill parasitic worms. The drug was previously used to deworm both humans and livestock, but since it was discovered to cause agranulocytosis (a severe depletion of white blood cells that leaves the body susceptible to infection) it's only been used to treat worm-infested cattle. In addition to being a popular cow dewormer, it has become a very popular cocaine adulterant.

http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/the-cash-is-in-the-cut

 

[treezy z]

since the levamisole news broke a few years ago i haven't touched coke. i'm not paying a bunch of money for a gram or ball to put toxic shit in my system.

 

[neversickanymore]

^ plusss 1000000000,

All over the world, forensic chemists report finding levamisole-tainted cocaine in increasing frequency from every level of distribution, ranging from street level to huge multi-ton shipments. This means that the adulterant is added in South America before the cocaine has been exported.

Here is one place where you are totally wrong. It is cut more and more with this shit as it goes on down the line.

The addition of leva also make coke suck but it makes it look real.



Vice should run a retraction on parts of this article.

 

[spacejunk]

^ really?
I thought it was cut (with levamisole) at the source, and more mundane cuts (as mentioned; glucose etc) the lower down the chain it goes.
Where does a street dealer in an urban area even get said bullshit toxin?

 

[TheRapperGoneBad]

Good article but not really any new info.

Im yet to do cocaine on this fact alone.

 

[treezy z]

Good article but not really any new info.

ya this story broke at least 2 years ago.

 

[f33lg00d]

Well I've saved money on food by eating road kill without having to worry about worms