Paco in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay
Cocaine paste is very popular through several South American countries including Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay and is referred to as paco or pasta base (in Uruguay and Chile). In 2007, crackdowns in Peru and Bolivia forced traffickers to move to Argentina to produce cocaine which, according to the Los Angeles Times, is ideal for its "advanced chemical industry, porous border with Bolivia and a notoriously corrupt police force." Eventually, this prompted traffickers to sell their byproduct to locals. The use underscores a significant shift in both Argentina and its larger neighbour Brazil, which in just a few years have become sizable cocaine consumers. Brazil now ranks as the second largest total consumer of cocaine in the world after the United States, the State Department says.
In Argentina, cocaine paste used to go for about 30 cents (in USD) a dose, enough for a powerful two-minute high. However, lately, its price has gone up as a result of a higher demand, among other causes.
Between 2001 and 2005, the use of paco in Argentina increased by 200%, with more than 150,000 young people taking it regularly. A report by the Transnational Institute states that it is difficult to know the exact nature of this substance and its effects and that they could "neither confirm nor discount the various hypotheses offered in those cities". The drug is also the most used among the general population in Brazil, according to a poll. Of those who admitted they were drug users, 47 per cent took paco, with marijuana, cocaine and substances such as glue lagging far behind.
Read more about this topic: Cocaine Paste