PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION 7

Curriculum Development

1st Semester

Academic Year 2014 – 2015

COCA – An Ancient Herb Turns Deadly

Mirasol S. Madrid

III-9 BS Psychology

August 4, 2014

Mirasol S. Madrid Curriculum Dev’t

III-9 BS Psychology July 28, 2014

COCA – An Ancient Herb Turns Deadly

The article entitled, Coca – An Ancient Herb Turns Deadly, is about how a widely used Indian herb turned into today’s international killer drug: cocaine. Before it was turned into a drug, Cocaine was used by the people of the Andean Highlands as a tonic. However, by 1862, German Chemists had taken coca leaves brought by an Austrian scientific expedition from Peru and isolated from them an alkaloid, or nitrogen-based compound: C17H21NO4. These people labeled it as Cocaïn. Until now, at least 6 million Americans kept on buying it to sniff, smoke or inject. Through this, cocaine users feel indescribable pleasure, unbounded energy. This might also bring them to misery or sometimes death.

The article discussed how cocaine was made from the coca leaves. First, the leaves will be soaked in a solution of water with sulfuric acid for three to four times daily until the leaves are grayish. The water will be extracted and the leaves will be mixed with: lime water, gasoline, more acid, potassium permanganate and ammonia. This will serve as the cocaine base. It is the task of the large labs to refine the base and add acetone, ether and hydrochloric acid to form the crystalline powder, cocaine hydrochloride. The article has also featured the extent of the effort done by people to carry or transport cocaine. Some would have it in their luggage, taped onto their body parts or concealed into their clothes. The article has also featured some cases of cocaine dealings etc.

This article has helped me be informed about the different facts about cocaine like how it is made and how it affects peoples’ lives. If it helped me be informed about something, this will greatly help on increasing my future students’ background about drugs specifically cocaine. This knowledge will also help them become discouraged on using drugs such as cocaine, marijuana, shabu, ecstacy and so on and so forth. This is because they are now finally aware of what it is and how it may affect them. This way, they will be able to share the negative effects of cocaine to those people whom he/she knows that uses drugs. I believe that when the students are informed about something like how cocaine is made and its effects, they become more aware of what they should do when they encounter this type of situation.

This topic can be taught on the subject M.A.PE.H on grade 10 students/fourth year students wherein they are taught about sensitive topics that requires mature thinking. Compared to lower grade levels, grade 10 or fourth year students are more mature than to them. Thus, they will be able to digest what would be taught to them despite its sensitivity.

Drug Use, no matter how we deny it, is a widespread social problem as of today. People are likely to engage with this kind of activity despite its implications to oneself. With the increasing statistics of drug use in the Philippines, this article is very timely to help me and other people who will be able to read it. If this will be included in the curriculum, the awareness of drug use will increase and the incidence of drug abuse will decrease.