Cocaine Found In Red Bull In Germany

BERLIN — Six German states have told retailers to stop selling Red Bull Cola energy drinks after a test found a trace amount of cocaine.

The bans started Friday after a sample test conducted by authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia state found 0.4 micrograms per liter in the drink.

Five other states also banned it from shops amid concerns over possible narcotics law violations.

Germany's Federal Institute for Risk Assessment said Monday that the cocaine level was too low to pose a health risk. It planned to produce a more detailed report Wednesday.

Red Bull said its cola is "harmless and marketable in both the U.S. and Europe." It said similar coca leaf extracts are used worldwide as flavoring, and a test it commissioned itself found no cocaine traces.

Comments

[ViciousAttack]

What an infinitesimal amount! If you want effective amounts of cocaine in a beverage, it's altogether easier to simply buy inca tea from Peru. You can buy tea, powder, candies, wine, and liquor - all made with coca leaves or their extracts/concentrates. A great semi-legal energizer. Brewed in the tea bag it's like a cup of very strong green tea. Once you have the powder and start releasing the alkaloids, well it's a whole 'nother story! It tastes terrible but that happy Peruvian flute music starts to make total sense.

[wadenelson1]

I'd like to know how many samples they tested, what the false positives are for cocaine of the particular test they use, and what the error range of their instruments are. .4 microgram is an exceedingly small amount.

....show me the evidence.

[JoDeeVa]

I think they best be checking that other "uncola"..Mountain Dew. Whew! Ever try to carry on a conversation or, rather, get a word in edgewise with someone downing the Dew?!

Too bad Red Bull GmbH is a privately-owned company. Might be a heckuva investment for the short-run! That stuff is going to fly off the shelves overnight!
"Pssst, hey buddy..got any Red Bull?"

[Khirad]

Coca-Cola and others are still flavored the same way - with cocaine-free coca extract. I always wondered what would happen if a plant somehow didn't extract all the cocaine from the leaf (or what the security is like at these plants). Speaking of drinks in Germany with a kick, I miss Afri-Cola...

[wadenelson1]

Cocaine is only one of MANY active ingredients in the coca leaf. And who's to say Coca Cola hasn't done "designer chemistry" to make their product more mood enhancing and addictive.

If you were a multi-billion dollar company selling colored sugar water, wouldn't YOU?

[LupotheButcher]

red bull red bull red bull redbull redbull redbull good good ya ya
redbullgoodya redbullgoodya

[Gib]

In a perverse sort of way, it's reassuring that the Germans are just as ridiculously obsessed with safety as the Americans.

[carrieanna]

The EU has a lot of overly protective laws. They didn't allow Swarovski crystal jewelry because of the lead at one point.

[Paul]

Can you say: "Can't buy this kind of publicity?"

[the964kid]

Red Bull is a hellavu drink.

[cactusgal]

Hannity just agreed to let Olbermann pour some in his nose for charity

[poster1122]

0.4 micrograms per LITER? This is enough to warrant pulling it off the shelves? You probably get more of a dose from eating an apple after touching your average dollar bill!

[groosemoose]

And yet 5 hour energy is so much stronger...

[zitlight73]

just like the original coke

[totaldisbelief]

Well that's how Coca-Cola was originally.

[rbenjamin]

Some wings!

[shockjock]

So that's why I've been injecting it. hmmn