Paco, the child-slayer.

Paco is horrifying drug, made from cocaine paste and containing any number of toxics like kerosine, boric acid or lidocaine, it's sold on the streets of most Latin American cities. Because of the price of a paco cigarette - about 1 to 3 pesos (30 cents to 1 dollar) - it has become the drug of choice for children here in Argentina. It's so addictive it only takes 2 or 3 shots to get hooked. After that it's a quick descent into pathetic dependancy and finally death.

I´ve seen the affects the drug has on street children in Buenos Aires. I spent a day with some of them last year. Some of the kids, 11 or 12 years old, could no longer walk straight. They had lost all eye-hand coordination. Girls of the same age would prostitute themselves to truck drivers to get 5 pesos to buy some paco. Their life stories were tragic. For most of these kids rehabilition is impossible. They won´t reach 20.

The New York times has a feature on the drug today which is well worth a look at.