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> coca-leaf which comes from South America and is processed in a unique US government authorized factory in New Jersey to remove its addictive stimulant cocaine

> coca-leaf which comes from South America and is processed in a unique US government authorized factory in New Jersey to remove its addictive stimulant cocaine According to Wikipedia "The Stepan Company is the only manufacturing plant authorized by the Federal Government to import and process the coca plant, which it obtains mainly from Peru and, to a lesser extent, Bolivia. Besides producing the coca flavoring agent for Coca-Cola, the Stepan Company extracts cocaine from the coca leaves, which it sells to Mallinckrodt, a St. Louis, Missouri, pharmaceutical manufacturer that is the only company in the United States licensed to purify cocaine for medicinal use."

themodelplumber 12y ago
The Stepan Company slogan: "LET'S DO THIS GUYS"
nostromo 12y ago
It would be interesting to see how the cocaine supply line works. I imagine they'd need armored vehicles and a lot of security for the entire trip from NJ to MO.
- w1ntermute 12y ago
  > [Stepan employee] O'Brien runs a network of agents in Peru and Bolivia who get coca leaves from some of the same farms that supply the Colombian drug cartels. When a shipment arrives in the U.S., a high-security convoy of trucks ferries the leaves from the docks of Manhattan to Maywood, where it is greeted by a rifle-toting guard. After production, armored cars leave the building loaded with barrels of high-quality cocaine. http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=348&dat=19941106&id=62swAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ojMDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6675,1346835 http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=348&dat=19941106&id=62...
- jonknee 12y ago
  No more so that the security used for painkillers like Oxycontin. I haven't seen armed guards doing deliveries at CVS, but you never know. There are a lot less suspicious ways to acquire cocaine than to hijack a semi.
  - jonnathanson 12y ago
    It's not unheard of for even more common drugs to travel by armored car with armed guards. Sudafed, for instance. Especially in rural areas with known meth problems.
- sk5t 12y ago
  For what it's worth, regular-looking tractor trailers loaded with valuable stuff pay visits to the US Mint and Federal Reserve buildings in downtown Philadelphia. If they take any special precautions, they aren't evident.
- knowaveragejoe 12y ago
  In reality it's likely a comparatively small supply. Flying it would also present less issues.
themodelplumber 12y ago
Medicinal use clarification--an official from Mallinckrodt who "asked not to be named" had this to say: "We purchase a crude extract and purify it further into one chemical form, cocaine hydrochloride U.S.P." http://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/01/business/how-coca-cola-obtains-its-coca.html http://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/01/business/how-coca-cola-obt... I looked that up because I don't work in health care: "Cocaine Hydrochloride is used topically to produce local anesthesia of accessible mucous membranes of oral, laryngeal, and nasal cavities. It is often used for emergency room sutures and outpatient nasal and facial surgery. Because Cocaine Hydrochloride is readily absorbed from mucous membranes and can cause severe adverse effects, the drug should be used with caution, and careful attention should be given to dosage and administration technique. Repeated topical application of cocaine can result in psychic dependence and tolerance." http://mallinckrodt.com/uploadedFiles/Content/Specialty_Pharmaceuticals/Active_Pharmaceutical_Ingredients/Products/Controlled_Substances/1520.pdf http://mallinckrodt.com/uploadedFiles/Content/Specialty_Phar...
- sambeau 12y ago
  Cocaine is a local anaesthetic that also restricts blood flow in capillaries hence its very useful in nasal surgery.
  - linker3000 12y ago
    Yes, I went through a time in my teens when I suffered from bad nosebleeds and I remember the 'cocaine liquid' that was put up my nose on cotton wool before a couple of cauterization sessions.
- corin_ 12y ago
  Worth noting that powder cocaine used recreationally is usually (or always? not sure) Cocaine Hydrochloride too (though cut with non-cocaine as well, of course)
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
joering2 12y ago
Does this mean I cannot open my own company to process coca-leafs? Can I sue the government due to monopoly practices? Why this factory is any better than any citizen wanting to open coca-leaf processing plant??
- jpatokal 12y ago
  Bureaucracy, not conspiracy. I'm sure it's theoretically be possible to bid for the procurement contract and apply for the license and whatnot, but this would take years, cost lots of money, and leave you with an incredibly heavily regulated product and thus (presumably) not much of a profit margin.
  - psykovsky 12y ago
    presumably beng the keyword ;)

themodelplumber 12y ago

The Stepan Company slogan: "LET'S DO THIS GUYS"

nostromo 12y ago

It would be interesting to see how the cocaine supply line works. I imagine they'd need armored vehicles and a lot of security for the entire trip from NJ to MO.

w1ntermute 12y ago
> [Stepan employee] O'Brien runs a network of agents in Peru and Bolivia who get coca leaves from some of the same farms that supply the Colombian drug cartels. When a shipment arrives in the U.S., a high-security convoy of trucks ferries the leaves from the docks of Manhattan to Maywood, where it is greeted by a rifle-toting guard. After production, armored cars leave the building loaded with barrels of high-quality cocaine. http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=348&dat=19941106&id=62swAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ojMDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6675,1346835 http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=348&dat=19941106&id=62...
jonknee 12y ago
No more so that the security used for painkillers like Oxycontin. I haven't seen armed guards doing deliveries at CVS, but you never know. There are a lot less suspicious ways to acquire cocaine than to hijack a semi.
- jonnathanson 12y ago
  It's not unheard of for even more common drugs to travel by armored car with armed guards. Sudafed, for instance. Especially in rural areas with known meth problems.
sk5t 12y ago
For what it's worth, regular-looking tractor trailers loaded with valuable stuff pay visits to the US Mint and Federal Reserve buildings in downtown Philadelphia. If they take any special precautions, they aren't evident.
knowaveragejoe 12y ago
In reality it's likely a comparatively small supply. Flying it would also present less issues.

themodelplumber 12y ago

Medicinal use clarification--an official from Mallinckrodt who "asked not to be named" had this to say: "We purchase a crude extract and purify it further into one chemical form, cocaine hydrochloride U.S.P." http://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/01/business/how-coca-cola-obtains-its-coca.html http://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/01/business/how-coca-cola-obt... I looked that up because I don't work in health care: "Cocaine Hydrochloride is used topically to produce local anesthesia of accessible mucous membranes of oral, laryngeal, and nasal cavities. It is often used for emergency room sutures and outpatient nasal and facial surgery. Because Cocaine Hydrochloride is readily absorbed from mucous membranes and can cause severe adverse effects, the drug should be used with caution, and careful attention should be given to dosage and administration technique. Repeated topical application of cocaine can result in psychic dependence and tolerance." http://mallinckrodt.com/uploadedFiles/Content/Specialty_Pharmaceuticals/Active_Pharmaceutical_Ingredients/Products/Controlled_Substances/1520.pdf http://mallinckrodt.com/uploadedFiles/Content/Specialty_Phar...

sambeau 12y ago
Cocaine is a local anaesthetic that also restricts blood flow in capillaries hence its very useful in nasal surgery.
- linker3000 12y ago
  Yes, I went through a time in my teens when I suffered from bad nosebleeds and I remember the 'cocaine liquid' that was put up my nose on cotton wool before a couple of cauterization sessions.
corin_ 12y ago
Worth noting that powder cocaine used recreationally is usually (or always? not sure) Cocaine Hydrochloride too (though cut with non-cocaine as well, of course)

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

joering2 12y ago

Does this mean I cannot open my own company to process coca-leafs? Can I sue the government due to monopoly practices? Why this factory is any better than any citizen wanting to open coca-leaf processing plant??

jpatokal 12y ago
Bureaucracy, not conspiracy. I'm sure it's theoretically be possible to bid for the procurement contract and apply for the license and whatnot, but this would take years, cost lots of money, and leave you with an incredibly heavily regulated product and thus (presumably) not much of a profit margin.
- psykovsky 12y ago
  presumably beng the keyword ;)