Two very different but valuable crops are grown in Central and South America. After hours of toil, each is carefully harvested. But it’s not the plant itself that is prized: it’s the product inside. So both crops are subject to a process of extraction. The aim is to have a high concentration of pure product. One of the crops is sugar cane and the other is the coca plant, which contains cocaine alkaloid.
Consuming either sugar or cocaine stimulates the brain’s pleasure centres. When they are purified, this effect is heightened, producing an exaggerated biological response. For example, coca leaf has been chewed in Central and South America for hundreds of years. It’s used as a local anaesthetic, to increase stamina and to fight fatigue. It contains the neurotransmitter precursors tryptophan and tyrosine and essential minerals. In short, coca leaf chewing is not a problem but a socially advantageous adaption. However, once it’s processed down to pure cocaine it becomes notoriously addictive.
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