Cocaine: The Most Significant Industries In South America

The manufacturing of cocaine is one of the most significant industries in South America, which exports around 75-80% of the global cocaine supply and generates billions of dollars to the economy. The coca plant, mainly grown in Peru, Columbia, and Bolivia, originated in the Andes Mountains. The Incas primarily used this plant during religious ceremonies, for medicinal purposes, as a form of currency, and as a stimulant. As time has progressed, the cocaine production process has become increasingly technologically oriented. The first step of the production process, after harvesting the coca plant, is to quite literally step on the coca leaves in order to extract alkaloids. This process results in coca paste. This generally does not