British Sci/Tech site The Register reports that the implications of cocaine use are more dire for the planet than they are for your health or your plans to carry on your life without a criminal record. The method by which cocaine is produced destroys some of the most valuable, biodiverse eco-systems on the planet. To compound matters, the actions of the Colombian government to try to stop cocaine growth are equally damaging.

Cocaine production is a threat to environment is all its stages, said Liliana Davalos, lecturer in Molecular Ecology at the Open University, UK. The first step of the cycle is the destruction of forest to plant coca. Every year, 100 thousand hectares of Colombian forest is destroyed for this end. The plantations also use tons of herbicides that are forbidden in many other countries.

...the Colombian government's efforts to eradicate the plantations only serve to exacerbate the situation. They use planes to spray herbicides over coca plantations, with predictably gruesome consequences for insects, amphibians and other plants in the area. Growers then move to other areas, clear the native vegetation and start all over again.

They suggest breaking your cocaine habit and substituting coffee instead, which is an extremely environmentally friendly crop. So if you were thinking of quitting and you just needed that one last reason to push you over the edge, just think of the squirrel monkeys!

You can read the full article here.