Cocaine’s Colorful History

That dangerous white powder only has negative connotations now, but cocaine was once seen as a wonder drug. Everyone from Sigmund Freud to Queen Elizabeth sang its praises at one time, believing the medical experts who touted it as a cure-all. Thomas Edison, Pope Leo XIII and pioneering surgeon William Halsted also jumped on the bandwagon, believing in cocaine’s healing properties.

Cocaine’s History

The drug dates back much further, though, than the 1880s when it first starting getting mainstream attention. Derived from the coca plant, natives in South America had been chewing the leaves for centuries. By 1880, several companies had succeeded in creating a concentrated version. This new cocaine hydrochloride was reportedly tens to hundreds of times more powerful than chewing on the coca leaf.

A century later, cocaine experienced a resurgence in popularity, prized as a party enhancer that allowed the fun to go on all night long. As with any illicit drug, though, the effects eventually caught up with users, and what was once a wonder drug became a drug that left people wondering why they ever started taking it in the first place.

Cocaine as a Treatment Drug

Cocaine was initially hoped to be a cure for morphine addiction and could also serve as a potent topical painkiller. The positive publicity this promising new drug received helped to hide the negative reports of addiction that were cropping up. As a result, it was thought to be an entirely safe drug.

Cocaine was used to cure everything from stomachache and nervousness to lethargy, tuberculosis and asthma. It was sold in drinks, ointments, and even margarine. The most popular product was Vin Mariani, a Bordeaux wine developed by a French chemist, with 6 milligrams of cocaine in every ounce -- nearly 200 milligrams in a typical bottle.

A Civil War vet named John Syth Pemberton created a copycat wine. A morphine addict after suffering war wounds, Pemberton was originally interested in cocaine as a treatment for morphine addiction. Then, when the sale of alcohol was banned in his hometown of Atlanta, he concocted a sweet, nonalcoholic version: Coca-Cola.

By 1903, the drug was falling out of favor and there was no longer cocaine in Coca-Cola. In 1914, Congress passed the Harrison Narcotics Act, banning the nonmedical use of cocaine, as well as other drugs, like marijuana. Cocaine's new status on the outside of the law was official, creating new problems for law enforcement and dangerous new issues for those who chose to use the drug.

Cocaine Rehab

If you or someone you love is in need of cocaine rehab, call The Canyon at our toll-free number. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about drug addiction treatment, financing or insurance.