My visit to a (legal) Coca plantation and its implications.

I am in Ecuador and I got to visit a legal coca plantation. The plants are shipped off to pharmaceutical and food companies as well as sold to locals in the Andies for coca tea.

Now the guide was telling me how heavily restricted Ecuador and the surrounding countrys like Peru and now Colombia keep this agricultural sector.

But it was stressed this regulation is not to benifit latin America and how that its to the USA benfit and in exchange past US governments have given political favours and foreign aid.



Now Bring in Trump.

You see if Trump puts too much pressure on south America or starts a trade war, these countrys now will have no incentive to regulate the Coca industry.
Plenty of farmers would switch to that crop overnight due to the sheer volumes of money that can be made. And trust me that would be a lot of coc aine. Its common enough now, so without regulation on the manufacturering end it would be ridiculous.

No wall would keep the tidal wave of coc aine spilling into the USA and god forbid the rest of the west.
The war on drugs would be pretty much over with a huge win for the drugs.
And south Americans would probably end up much richer.


Americans like to boast how they have all the leverage. Well it seems that might not be the case, especially if they want to continue the war on drugs. If American calls latin Americas bluff the drug fallout could be significant and latin Americans could end up richer.

Of course if Trump ends the war on drugs that leverage south America has disappears

If only they produced the worlds best concentrates instead.

ps: would they let you take pics while you were there?

Cocaine is a hell of a drug...

originally posted by: crazyewok

Plenty of farmers would switch to that crop overnight due to the sheer volumes of money that can be made. And trust me that would be a lot of coc aine.

Not if they do the math. Economics 101 disagrees with you.

The more competition there is, the less companies will charge for a product........to stay competitive, you see.

Two people offer me something that is 70% pure at the same weight. One person is selling it for $100 dollars,and the other for $50. Guess which product I'm going to buy?

Competition breeds that choice, monopolies do not.

Besides which, flooding a market with more product does not necessarily create more consumers. You can gamble that it will, but the odds are against you.

a reply to: Taupin Desciple

Maybe?

But the market for drugs is hardly saturated with dealers haveing more demand than product plus the more common coc aine becomes on the street the there could end up being more customers. Either way recreational drugs is far from a saturated market place with plenty of room.

Plus tye typical south American farmer doesn't really have advanced education in international economics, they will just assume there is more money ro be made than growing fruit.

Drugs only have the monetary value they do because they are regulated.

It directly cuts down supply, running up the value while it enriches whomever regulates it.

While whoever gets the cash flow will say...

" What, you don't care about the children?"

What did the air in those fields smell like?

a reply to: crazyewok

Interesting, I knew nothing of this but it doesn't surprise me.

We all know where why coke is short for coca-cola, and yes the coca is medicinal and can also be turned into a narcotic, but so can opium. I've only seen coca and coc aine refineries through documentaries and those dealers are crafty-miles of wire and pipes, sheds with clothes dryers in the middle of the jungle, and apparently they can churn out half a metric tonne a day. a day! with that kind of product and the kingpins money some factions of border forces at home and abroad might be tempted by the bribes...or a worse fate.

originally posted by: rickymouse
What did the air in those fields smell like?

Dont think I noticed a smell.

a reply to: crazyewok

So wait. This could cause a supply shock of coc aine? Which would drive down prices right? Hmmmm... I wonder what's coming up on my concert agenda this summer?

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
a reply to: crazyewok

So wait. This could cause a supply shock of coc aine? Which would drive down prices right? Hmmmm... I wonder what's coming up on my concert agenda this summer?

God knows what it would do to prices.

I am guessing yeah the street value would plummet.

Not exactly a drug I would like to see cheap.

originally posted by: rickymouse
What did the air in those fields smell like?

Awesome.
The smell of yayo in the morning.

What other stuff you seeing and doing. Pm if you want so your thread don't get ruined. I'm interested.

Ecuador; just one of many South American countries that have cough cough legal fields that supply big farma.. Afghanistan comes to mind with allied US forces guarding the product from planting to harvesting..

Ecuador ? It seems like all my life where ever I go there is always a Brit to be found.. For an island country you guys really do get around ! I absolutely do like South America.... Peru was always a great time for me as I had friends there.. Venezuela 50 years ago was great to.. But I would not go there for anything now...

S&F stay safe and don't let the cartels err bed bugs bite

I lived in Peru. I know and legally used coca (not coc aine) when I was there . I even made a thread about coca here.

It's ridiculous to blame Trump for your country's drug issues. Your government must take care of your problems. If coc aine from Ecuador comes, our government will deal with it.

a reply to: Trueman

1) I am not from Ecuador I am from the UK

2) This thread has nothing to do with Drug issues within Ecuador or the UK

3) I was not aware I was blaming trump for anything. Only pointing out US drug policy could be used as leverage by south America.

4) if anyone is to blame its Nixon for starting the war on drugs and the idiots who drafted the international drug treaty before him i in 1961.

5) I personally dont give a dam about drug use anyway and dont care that much about coc aine use either in the UK, USA or Ecuador.

6) Your government could not organise a piss up in a brewery . You cant stop drugs crossing yohr border now, so if coc aine production went up 100 fold your DEA would have zero chance in hell.

7) Yes I too have tried coca tea. Good for altitude sickness.

8) This is far more than Ecuador. Peru, Colombia and Bolivia would ditch any agreement of coca regulation if pushed.


9) you need to read more carefully as you missed the point worse than a north korean missle test.

originally posted by: crazyewok

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
a reply to: crazyewok

So wait. This could cause a supply shock of coc aine? Which would drive down prices right? Hmmmm... I wonder what's coming up on my concert agenda this summer?

God knows what it would do to prices.

I am guessing yeah the street value would plummet.

Not exactly a drug I would like to see cheap.

While we would obviously see a decrease in price at the consumer level, the cost of raw cocoa leaves aren't the major issue driving price as it is. I have seen numbers where a kilo sells for like $1000 after refinement, $7000 once it reaches Mexico, and then $15-25k once it reaches U.S. then doubling almost in EU (not exact numbers but not too far off I don't think).

In other words I don't know that it would really create that much of an issue as assumed. If leaves are $1000 a ton and goes to $500 it won't half the price of the final product when it goes to market.

a reply to: crazyewok

Gotta love debating with you. Man, it was like you were an Ecuadorian living in UK on a vacation trip.

Coca and coc aine had been around who knows since when, way before Trump.

Just doesn't make sense : " Wall = more coc aine".

I guess according to you we shouldn't look for better trade deals just to protect other countries economy.

Yeah, coca tea is delicious. I hope you had chance to chew some leaves.

a reply to: Trueman

Not saying you should not look for better trade deal.

Just pointing out south American may use the USA drugs policy as blackmail. As such the USA might need to rethink its war on drugs.

No havent had the chance to chew any. Prefer the tea to be honest.

a reply to: crazyewok

Man, our war on drugs is like a cheap liability car insurance. Just enough to say we have one. It's been like that since I remember.