Wikipedia:Peer review/Cocaine/archive1

Cocaine

This was submitted by someone else as FAC a long time ago. Since the article has been extensively rewritten but it's still not up to full standard. I'm looking for some suggestions or pointers on where the article could be improved - and if someone would like to revamp the "Usage" section that would be great as well :) porge 23:46, Feb 27, 2005 (UTC)

• This article should be more extensively sourced. Phils 16:46, 28 Feb 2005 (UTC)
• An interesting read. A few thoughts occur to me:
  • US-centric overall, the whole section called usage in the United States should either be broadened to a more global discussion, or sections about other places added
  • Regarding addiction: I understood that cocaine tolerance develops very rapidly, and users need to take more and more to achieve the same effect. Is this the case?
  • Could say what the cost to user is. In the UK, it's become amazingly cheap in recent years (I'm not too sure why), and its use has increased. It's a commonly quoted statistic that in London, 99% of £20 notes have traces of cocaine on them.
  • Does the US not work to destroy cocaine farms in Peru, Colombia and Bolivia? I believe I've heard they spray them with crop-destroying substances.
  • Legal status section needs filling in. Worldtraveller 17:41, 2 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Thanks for the comments :) Just going to refer to them by number here: I'm currently looking for information on 1 and 5... it's proving rather elusive though. 4 Coca eradication is dealt with in a seperate article I'll add a subsection, short summary, and link to it. I imagine that cost to user (3) would vary wildly from country to country and within a country depending upon who is importing it, what the season is, etc - I'll try to find some less USentric info. Thanks! porges 08:13, Mar 6, 2005 (UTC)

• There have been efforts to grow coca across the South Pacific, most notably Papua New Guinea and Fiji, however these crops did not produce the erythoxyline compounds.
• Also, due to the supply and demand factor, not caring about the quality of product ie lack of purity controls the producers mix various solvents together to produce more base product which in final processing without the forementioned filtering produces a much lower grade but higher yield.
• In fact, Germany and France both used cocaine mixed with dextrose for icing sugar and other confectionaries turn of the century. Dextrose gives that cooling sensation thats used in mints, etc. See a pre-1970's edition of "Larousse Gastronomique" {Crown Publ./English} for reference to coca & recipes (I wonder what the 1938ed. says?).
• Ever wonder why "grandmas" art deco lapel pins looked like they could be used for a spoon or a roach clip? Thats because there was more going on in the mafia speakeasy's than just bootleg rye & floozeys. Refer to interviews with the Beatnicks.
• with your literary references, you might as well mention that cocaine was a reason Samuel Clemens & Jason Green sailed down the Mississippi on a riverboat, but then he found a job with a printing press in St. Louis. Schlüggell