Paco (drug)

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Pasta básica de cocaina (short PBC , Spanish for cocaine base paste ) or Paco , colloquially also pasta base , is a collective term that is widespread in southern South America and denotes various intoxicants based on cocaine , which are usually smokable .

Although the term cocaine base paste and its abbreviation PBC only refers to cocaine sulphate in the true sense, PBC and Paco refer to the drugs known in Europe as crack and freebase on the one hand, and various intermediate and waste products of cocaine production on the other. Drugs of this type spread in South America, particularly Argentina , Uruguay and southern Brazil , at the beginning of the 21st century.

Definition and manufacture

Almost all substances traded under the name Paco are intermediate products in cocaine production. In order to produce the common crystalline cocaine (cocaine hydrochloride), the leaves of the coca bush are processed into a paste (coca paste) and boiled with water and sulfuric acid; cocaine sulfate settles on the bottom of the pot. The following products of this process are referred to as Paco : the cocaine sulphate, the cocaine base, various waste products from the processing of cocaine base into cocaine hydrochloride and the crack that is produced after further processing of the cocaine hydrochloride with soda .

The different Paco variants are often stretched with ground glass splinters and various chemicals (e.g. kerosene, cleaning agents, solvents). Since the exact ingredients are not known to the buyer, there is an additional risk potential.

Ingestion

Paco is smoked in pipes, which are usually made from bottle corks or the like. The substance is sold in crumbs and mixed with carriers such as marijuana, tobacco, cigarette ash or steel wool for smoking.

Desired and unwanted effects

Paco produces the same effect as basically pure cocaine. The consumer feels a lightened mood, euphoria and increased activity. Feelings of pain or hunger stop. With Paco, the effect starts after the first move. The high lasts only 30-70 seconds.

Paco is quickly addictive. After the brief intoxication, the consumer immediately falls into a deep mood. If the consumer is already heavily dependent, this depression immediately creates the urge for the next dose. Due to the toxic ingredients in the Paco breadcrumbs, painful cramps can occur after the intoxication. For most, this pain can only be suppressed with a new high, so that many addicts consume one hundred to three hundred times a day. Paco damages the brain, heart, lungs and liver in the long term and can cause irreparable damage. Psychoses and paranoia develop . Paco junkies are easy to recognize by their emaciated figure. The feeling of hunger ceases permanently, vitamin and nutrient deficiency occurs. The result is cracked lips, blisters and bruises on the skin and, due to the insufficient supply of the brain, difficulty concentrating as well as glassy eyes and a slightly absent and distant facial expression. Starvation is the leading cause of death among paco users. Addicts are said to have a zombie-like appearance.

backgrounds

The 2001 economic crisis is cited as the main cause of the rapidly increasing trend in consumption, especially in the slums and slums of Argentine cities. According to statistics, drug use increased by 500% in the last 5 years. Thousands lost their jobs back then and now live on welfare. Young people, in particular, seek solace in drugs due to the lack of future prospects. In addition, Paco is very cheap as a waste product. A pipe filling costs one to two pesos (around 25–50 euro cents). Heavily addicts need up to 300 single doses a day and usually cannot finance their addiction. The result is that many young people steal in order to buy Paco. Paco is considered a drug for the poor, which makes them even poorer.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Equipo Intercambios, Giorgina Garibotto, Tom Blickman, et al. : Paco under scrutiny: the cocaine base paste market in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil . Ed .: Pien Metaal (=  Drugs & conflict . No. 14 ). Transnational Institute, Amsterdam October 2006, OCLC 150337555 ( tni.org [PDF] free full text).

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