Cocaine

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Cocaine

When you reach into the refrigerator for a Coca-Cola, do you ever wonder where it got its name? You might be surprised to find out! When coke was created 120 years ago, it contained cocaine (Bayer 27). At the time scientists did not realize that cocaine was addictive and dangerous. Scientists today know that cocaine is among the strongest stimulants known, and trying the drug even one time can cause heart attack, stroke, and even death. "Even the most in shape athlete could die from one use (Bayer 26)."

The history of coca leaves began hundreds of years ago in South America. The Indians of Peru and Bolivia "chewed" coca leaves so that they could work hard in high altitudes and need little food. It was not until the late 1700's that the coca plant was brought to Europe, and cocaine was not actually created until 1855 when a German chemist named Albert Niemann extracted a compound from coca leaves and named it cocaine. It was not long after cocaine was discovered that it became a common household item (Woods 32).

In the 19th century in The United States, cocaine was included in many different over the counter medicines and tonics (Woods 33). Also a wine named "Vin Mariani," which contained cocaine as one of its ingredients, was widely marketed. Among the famous people to endorse the wine were Pope Leo III, author Jules Vern, and inventor Thomas Edison (Woods 33).

One of the first doctors to prescribe cocaine to his patients was Sigmund Freud. Freud thought that cocaine could be used to cure opium addiction and alcoholism. In reality, though, he was only substituting one addiction for another. Freud wrote a paper on the affects cocaine had on himself. "He found that the only really safe and proper medical use was as a painkiller (Woods 33)."

Most of the coca plants in the world are grown in Peru and Bolivia by Indians that have learned to make coca paste (when coca leaves are mixed with kerosene) from the plant (McFarland 31). The paste that is made is then shipped to Columbia where it is made into a "powdered substance". After the cocaine is made into powder it is shipped to the United States and other parts world (McFarland 32).

"Drug families" in Columbia control most of the cocaine trafficking. They use special planes and boats to carry cocaine from Columbia to Caribbean Islands and southern Florida. They...

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...en at this rate, many laboratories strain to keep up with the demand for cocaine testing.

Hundreds of years ago, Indians in South America discovered the coca plant. In 1855 cocaine was first extracted from the plant. Cocaine became a household item in the 19th century until a man named Sigmund Freud tested the drug on himself and realized that it was dangerous. Today, all over the country, cocaine destroys young lives every day. It is a dangerous, addictive drug, and using it once can kill you. It damages the brain, and messes with the mind. Knowing the facts about cocaine can help people stay healthy and drug free, and may even save lives.

Bibliography:

Bayer, Linda. Crack and Cocaine. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 2000.

"Cocaine Use in America." New York: DHHS Publication, 1986.

McFarland, Rhoda. Cocaine. Washington: Library of Congress Cataloging-in- Publication, 1997.

Nahas, Gabriel. Cocaine: The Great White Plague. Vermont: Paul S. Eriksson Publishers,

1989.

Roche Diagnostics Corporation. Hitachi 917 System Operations Manual. 1995.

Woods, Geraldine and Harold. Cocaine. Washington: Library of Congress Cataloging-in-

Publication, 1985.

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