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Cocaine a Threat to Biodiversity, Say Scientists
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by Jordan Yerman | March 30, 2008 at 07:15 am
660 views | 9 Recommendations | 7 comments
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British Columbia: $6m in drugs, Cash, Guns seized at Pacific Border crossing
uploaded by Barry Artiste
A panel of scientists meeting at the Natural History Museum in London last week detailed how the production of the drug and its trafficking affect biodiversity and contribute to climate change.
The production of a gram of cocaine means the destruction of four square metres of Colombian forest, they said, raising the question of which supermodels, popstars and city types should be lined up with hummer drivers and big game hunters in the environmental most-wanted stakes.
[...]
The first step of the cycle is the destruction of forest to plant coca. Every year, 100 thousand hectares of Colombian forest is destroyed for this end. The plantations also use tons of herbicides that are forbidden in many other countries. Since the UK is one of the world’s largest consumption markets for cocaine, it makes concerns about organic tomatoes and pesticides seem futile.
Then, the coca leaves must be soaked in solvents to release their psychotropic substances. Every year, 20 million litres of acetone, 13 million litres of gasoline and 81 thousand litres of sulphuric acid are used in this process and then thrown away, untreated, in rivers and water streams.
Transporting the product demands the clearing of more forests for landing strips, preferably in national parks and conservation areas. "These areas belong to the Government, so no owner can be held liable for the illegal activities," Davalos points out.
Finally, the Colombian government's efforts to eradicate the plantations only serve to exacerbate the situation. They use planes to spray herbicides over coca plantations, with predictably gruesome consequences for insects, amphibians and other plants in the area. Growers then move to other areas, clear the native vegetation and start all over again.
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Barry Artiste
Vancouver, Canada
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (7)
at 10:22 on March 30th, 2008
jordan, I like this story. It's good stuff. Though closer to home, Methamphetamine Production produces 7 to 10 pounds of Hazardous waste for every pound of Methamphetamine, which is a drop in the bucket to any rainforest when these meth precursor chemicals find their way into your drinking water in the lower mainland (Water treatment plants only process biological waste for the most part) or soils, in which, with the resulting rain runoff kills everything in it's corrosive path. As Meth producers method of operation is to dump these chemicals in parks, school yards, playgrounds, side of the road etc, sometimes they do not even bother to bury it, but leave it out for little Britney and Chad to discover.
Marijuana Grow op on the other hand produce about the same 7 to 10 pounds of pesticides organ or chloro phosphates, fungicides, herbicides, algecides along with the discarded perlite potting soils, mercury lights etc are normally buried, just like the meth precursor chemicals, so the garbagemen and police do not discover them in on garbage day. I could go on and on the massive environmental damage these hazards all cause, but I think people after reading this commentary get the picture.
Whoever said Marijuana is a safe and harmless drug, is a complete friggin Moron, never thinking out clearly what is involved in producing it. I have been pushing without success to get our government to charge these drug manufacturers BIG Fines for their pollution, but then we all know the answer to that one, hence why I have no use for Politicians. Yet, smoke a cigarette with a half a kilometer of a roadside cafe and the City Bylaw and Public are on your ass, with a fine and sometimes with a Taserin.
Good Story Jordan, as for the cocaine, thank god our climate doesn't allow it to grow and manufacture it here.
at 10:30 on March 30th, 2008
Reminds me of a meth cleanup the other year somewhere south of central Vancouver, where the meth manufacturers just dumped the waste in garbage bags on a streetcorner, and half the neighborhood was sealed off to contain the leakage.
(I think I'm remembering that right-- in fact, was that you?!*)
(* On cleanup, not manufacture!)
at 10:56 on March 30th, 2008
Yep, nothing like suiting up in my Yellow Big Bird, Quasi Darth Vader outfit, good times...NOT!! hahaha.
You may also recall my invite to you last year to have a ride along, dress up and experience La Vida Loca as a reporter so you could see what is involved, in generalities of course, no naming names or departments. Course I dont blame you for kindly passing on it, why put your life on the line for a story? At least I get paid to do it, though because of my direct involvement I can never report it on Now Public.
I'll most likely wait one day in retirement in 20 years to write about my fun times and the underbelly which is Touted by Poliiticans as the "Mostest and Bestest City in the World to "Live in", at least from a Super Duper Criminals perspective.
Boy can I rant !!! I can be such a whiny lil twit sometime
at 11:19 on March 30th, 2008
(Actually, I'd be totally down for that, if I could get out of the QA/testing lab, but only if i can make the Darth Vader mechanical-breathing noises)
at 15:07 on March 30th, 2008
hahaha, yeah , everyone who dons an air suit fopr the first time goes right into the "Luke I am your father" monologue, figuring it hasn't been done before. hahahaha
at 11:52 on March 30th, 2008
This reminds me of Mexicoreporter's NowPublic article, "Ethical Living? Stop taking cocaine"
at 14:12 on March 30th, 2008
jordan, informative stuff! thanks!