There's a bizarre yet legal drug that locals go crazy for during Oktoberfest
AP/Klaus HaagWiesn koks is increasingly becoming a traditional part of Oktoberfest.
Oktoberfest may be famous for beer being guzzled by the liter, but increasingly locals can be seen snorting a white substance from tables all over tents: and it's entirely legal.
Wiesn koks (Oktoberfest cocaine), which is also known as Wiesn Pulver (powder) or Bavarian cocaine, has become locals' pick-me-up of choice.
Essentially like snuff, Wiesn koks is made of glucose and menthol, and is sold in little glass bottles or Bavarian themed containers for almost $6. You may have read about giant masses and Lederhosen in your guidebook, but you won't find Wiesn koks in there.
The powder is cut into lines on beer tables, or, since those are usually covered in sticky beer, tapped out onto the back of hands, to be snorted through nostrils.
Despite looking like the real deal, Wiesn koks is harmless. Sure, you get a small sugar rush when it hits, and the menthol has a cooling, sinus-clearing effect, but that's about it. Wiesn koks is entirely drug and tobacco free.
That said, it's all about moderation: snuff too much and you might get yourself a bloody nose.
Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Business InsiderLocals love the slight sugar rush and refreshing menthol kick.
And despite being harmless, tent owners and security personnel have been trying to crack down on the tradition for years. However, locals refuse to give up this bit of culture, because that's really what it is: a cultural, seasonal tradition that basks in revelry and camaraderie.