And you thought coke was bad?...PACO

Paco is the byproduct of cocaine and happens to be much more addictive, cheaper, and a huge problem in Buenos Aires. Many of the young poor children in Buenos Aires become addicted and until their deaths, need paco at all times. I've taken an interest in this because it's so sad that we have things like this going on. Ingredients in paco include rat poison, chemicals, glue, cut glass, etc. Those addicted to this drug deteriorate so quickly and it's obvious when someone is addicted to paco. Like the streets of Philadelphia, it's hard to walk down the streets here without being bothered for money. But, quite often, by donating you're feeding a habit such as this.

In fact, this happens to be such a huge problem that they even made a movie about it, conveniently titled Paco. I went to see this movie a few weeks ago and was absolutely blown away by things that go on right under our noses. The movie is absolutely amazing and I am going to try to buy it before I return to the states so that I may share it with anybody who is interested. The movie is about a young man, maybe 20-23 years old, who is addicted to paco. He also happens to be the son of a politician who is aiming to increase her ratings, which is hindered with the fact that her son is an addict. The movie goes through his journey to recovery and through the stories of many other people.

If you'd like to look further into this problem, I've attached a link that I looked over and think is quite informative.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/21/buenos-aires-slum-drugs-paco