Rolf Vennenbernd / EPA
Red Bull’s New Cola: A Kick from Cocaine? – TIME: “About a year ago, the makers of Red Bull, the famous caffeine-loaded energy drink, decided to come out with a soda, unsurprisingly named Red Bull Cola. The shared name implied the same big kick. But could the cola’s boost — supposedly ‘100% natural’ — come from something else? Officials in Germany worry that they’ve found the answer — cocaine. And now they have prohibited the soda’s sale in six states across the country and may recommend a nation-wide ban.”
Apparently there is 0.13 mg of cocaine per can of Red Bull Cola which isn’t a serious health threat. You’d have to drink 12,000 L of Red Bull to really hurt yourself however it’s got people spooked. Bolivians say that coca can’t hurt you either way and they’re getting a laugh from the controversy.
Of course in Bolivia and the Andes, coca culture is huge. In fact coca is part of the Andean culture and it’s not a drug if you don’t turn it into cocaine. The main issue is really a legal one – you just can’t sell the stuff outside of the Andes unless you remove the cocaine chemical.
Red Bull hasn’t really answered anyone on where they get their leaves however.
I know people that are dangerous after two Monsters… which says a lot about them in other ways. I’m pretty sure someone one would figure out how to ingest a few dozen Red Bulls at once. I’m thinking extra-special brownies.