"OH, NO YOU DON'T" says Germany. "There's cocaine in that drink."
The Germans went and tested it. Who would've figured. The authorities in six German states ordered retailers to stop selling Red Bull Cola after finding traces of cocaine in the drink. Surprise! My, but it must have shocked Red Bull execs to find out that the narcotic cocaine is an ingredient in their cola, which can't legally be put into food and drink.
Cocaine is illegal damn near everywhere in the world -- except in the Andes. (Think: Machu Picchu). While the removal of cocaine alkaloid is mandated by international anti-narcotics agencies around the world, up in the Andean region folks have chewed or brewed coca in tea to stave off hunger and exhaustion for centuries, reports TIME. So, it's okay for the Andean guys.
NO BULL -- GERMANY CHEWS ON NATIONAL BAN
For the rest of us, not so much. And now German officials may recommend a nation-wide ban. One such official, Gernhard Kuehnle is the head of the food safety department in the country's federal ministry for consumer protection. He told the German press last weekend that the Health Institute's "elaborate chemical process" examining Red Bull Cola found 0.13 micrograms of cocaine per can. Apparently it does not pose a serious health threat, but was enough to cause concern.
Over at Red Bull, execs insist that coca leaves are merely used as a flavoring agent -- and only after removing the illegal cocaine alkaloid. "But no one knows where Red Bull Cola's coca leaves come from or where they are processed," says TIME, adding that only a few companies in the world have authorization to trade in coca leaves and most are pharmaceutical companies that perform the decocainizing process.
Red Bull Cola admits to using coca, but Coca-Cola evades the question. When Coca-Cola was first manufactured in the 19th Century, it's well known that it contained traces of cocaine, but has not since 1903, according to the BBC.
TO READ " 'SPARKS' CAFFEINE-ALCOHOL DRINK: UNETHICAL, DANGEROUS, REMOVED," CLICK HERE.
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By Sharon McEachern
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