Red Bull Cola Banned

YES it’s finally happened. Cocaine was actually found in an energy drink! Trace amounts of cocaine have been found in the energy soda. Now Germany is trying to get a nationwide ban of the drink. It’s already been banned in six states.

The amount of the drug found is a very small amount, about .13 micrograms per can. It takes about 12,000 Liters to feel the effects of the drug. The plant cocaine comes from is used to flavor the redbull but the drug must be removed before it is used.

The plant cocaine comes from is known as the coaca plant. It is banned everywhere in the world except for the Andes region where it is a major part of the culture. The Bolivian president Evo Morales is a big time coaca grower himself. he got quoted saying,

"Let's say [Red Bull Cola] doesn't take out the cocaine alkaloid. Have any of those millions of people across the world who have drunk that soda ever gotten sick or felt drugged?"

Many Bolivians feel that this incident was a great opertunity to show that coaca is safe without being turned into cocaine. American scientists also add that the traces that were found were so miniscule that there was no real reason to take action.

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,4274275,00.html

 http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1900849,00.html