Posted on 04/02/2023 5:18:33 PM PDT by C210N
The Maywood-based facility, now managed by the Stepan Company, has been processing coca leaves for the soft-drink giant for more than a century and had its license to import them renewed by the Drug Enforcement Agency earlier this year.
...
The Stepan Company in Maywood, New Jersey, has the country’s only license to import bulk shipments of coca leaves, which are used to make cocaine.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
At first, I figured this must be one of those April 1 fools articles, but there are many sources, and the article initially appeared on the evening of April 1, with an update on April 2.
So, just adding this to the craziness of government that we are hearing more and more about, with all things being revealed...
All the left over byproduct, however, which has a value of close to $2 billion, is then sold to an opioid manufacturing company called Mallinckrodt .
I have to wonder if the opiate is really removed - completely? Partially? Where does this Maywood processing plant send their products... besides CocaCola.
Flavor? Fake news. Used to be the kola nut that flavored the stuff; it’s also a source of caffeine, which replaced the cocaine.
So of course it's breaking news.🙄🤦♂️🤦♂️
CC
It’s the real thing
I’m the back of your mind….
I thought everyone knew this.
Mallinkrodt was an old prominent pharmaceutical company. It’s not traditionally “opioid” or any such thing. Do an image search and watch all the old vintage Rx bottles pop up.
As far as Coke, it’s just another byproduct of 5e same leaf but not the same reason.
Interesting in any case. I would never have known Mallinkrodt still exists in some form.
Well, I didn’t click the ‘Breaking News’ box, just regular news.
Everybody knows Coke had real Coke like 100 years ago. What I see that is newsworthy is that some plant in NJ *imports* coca leaves, aka the real thing at least in raw material form, for processing.
I’m still interested to understand how exactly they extract the good stuff and what they then do with that...
Looks like the US government was picking winners all the way back in 1921.
“Importing coca leaves was banned in 1921, but the legislation left an exemption for Maywood Chemical Works, which ran the factory before Stepan Company bought the site in 1959.”
Maywood subcontracts extracted cocaine alkaloid from the sealed cargo of leaves, and provides this to USP approved pharma companies including Mallinkrodt.
The reacted ex cocaine leaf matter is sold to Coca-Cola. The DEA facility is right next door to monitor the situation. The legal arranged has been known since the WSJ published this information 25 years ago plus. Coke is perfectly legal for the flavour chemistry they then process. This is NO fake bit of information it is all true. The DEA oversees but does not arrange the business transaction in this regard. NYTimes published this as well- mis representing that Coca Cola gets real cocaine for it’s beverage recipe. It doesn’t and never has not since 1913 Food and Drug Act which caused it to change out any cocaine to caffeine alkaloid.
“How Coca-Cola Obtains Its Coca”. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331
All above board. Mallinckrodt (since 1867 founding) makes along with cardiac and other contrast agents, opthalmic pharmaceutical grade cocaine drops/infusion for eye surgery. The company was sold/taken over by a large conglomerate in 1986 so this could all have changed since then to the subsidiaries and other manufacturers of FDA approved Schedule I medicinal cocaine applications.
Thanks for that article. Long ago downloaded the WSJ article which described the same chemical separation, company and destination to the DEA licensed Mallinckrodt for ENT and Opthalmic applications of cocaine hydrochloride. In that WSJ article it mentioned the location of the Stepan facility and the next door neighbor who unsealed every cargo of coca—namely the DEA. The coca was said to have been grown on US licensed acreage in India (much as a great deal of raw opium is obtained from there- and has been since before WWI).
Pemberton was a Confederate soldier, addicted to opium/laudanum as many wounded were for life, and who came up with the recipe. Sold to Asa Griggs Candler and so on to the creation of the Coca-Cola Company, which marketed Coke worldwide through gratis/near gratis shipments of bottled Coke to our military in every theater of the war. Also, there is the story of the creation of the drink Fanta- by the German representative for Coca-Cola who continued selling this beverage since he could not get Coca Cola. He banked the profits made and was loyal to his employer, and gave them the unique formula for that- keeping it from the Nazis.
Facts? Perhaps. These days I find it hard though to trust much out of any 3-letter agency from DEA to FIB to ClownsInAmerica. And, then add to that the Slimes.
True - there’s been a trust breakdown... one earned by the goons and thugs running American institutions. Still, this article seems sound.
Interesting comments John - thanks for sharing.
Coca Cola had a special waiver to grow Coca in Hawaii while they figured out how to get what they wanted out of the leaves without the drug
The generality that Coca-Cola has a facility which produces medicinal cocaine as a byproduct is a story that rises back into awareness every few years for decades. It is nothing new.
Cocaine is still used as an anesthetic for some facial surgeries. There is still a legitimate need for at least a little of it.
CC
I mis-spoke (mis-typed?). I should’ve said the whole thing wasn’t news in the strictest sense as it was a commonly known fact. It wasn’t meant as a criticism of you.
CC
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