History of Cocaine 

History of Cocaine

As evidenced by its name (and noted in the introduction), cocaine is created from the coca plant as pictured here. This plant is found in Latin America, concentrated in the Andean Region (mainly in the countries of Bolivia, Peru, and Colombia). The coca leaf has been used by the indigenous people of this region for many years, long before Columbus discovered America. In ancient Peruvian burial sites dating around 2500 BC, coca leaves were found in the graves, “apparently to assist the dead in their final journey.”[1]  If the use of coca leaves has been around this long, what purposes did it serve?

Uses of the coca leaf in the Andean Region throughout history.

The indigenous peoples used the coca leaf to increase stamina and sustain themselves for long periods of food withdrawal. The plant’s effects were extremely beneficial while working long hard days or on a strenuous journey.  However, when the natives were exploited by the Spanish and forced to work in the mines, this use of the coca leaf was also exploited.  The Spaniards found that coca leaves stimulated natives to work the mines faster and longer.  However, the body does need time to recover through rest and not by chewing more coca.

The coca leaf was also used by ancient Indians for religious purposes.  According to Steven Cohen, “Prehistoric priests employed it as an aid in achieving trance and meditative states, and in helping them in their religious communion.”[2]  The coca leaf itself is not quite as strong as cocaine, but it  produces a euphoric effect.  It was still used later in history by Incan holy men who “chewed coca to enhance their ability to prophesize and to improve their memory of the sacred myths handed down by word of mouth.”[3]  A lack of a written language sealed the importance of oral tradition; which is a common way of recording history in many ancient cultures. 

            Coca leaves were not just used for religious purposes, they also had medicinal qualities as well.  The coca leaf stimulated the body when chewed thereby making it a common remedy for fatigue.  This was especially helpful for those who lived in lowlands when they came up to the mountains.  When the body ascends into the high altitude, the blood becomes starved for oxygen creating fatigue for those not used to the thin mountain air.  However, the body does need time to rest in order to recover from fatigue and not just more coca leaves to stimulate it.  Though the Europeans were skeptical of the effects from the coca leaf, they did not hesitate to use it in order to further their own gain at the expense of Indian lives.

  Coca and the Europeans

            Though the Spaniards gave coca leaves to the Indians to increase mining production, they were not as keen on the plant as the natives.  They were leery of chewing it themselves, but they did not hesitate to give as much as possible to the Indians for obvious reasons.  There were many who spoke out against coca and disbelieved their claimed effects of sustainability and stimulation.  However, the observations of a Jesuit priest by the name of Joseph de Acosta (author of the book Natural History of the Indies which was written in 1590) noted, “…we see the effects which cannot be attributed to the imagination, so as to go some days without meat, but only a handful of Coca, and other like effects.”[4]  Though valuable as those observations are, there were some willing to test it out and discover the effects from the leaf on their own. 

In 1859, a man by the name of Clement Markham wrote about his experiences in Peru with the coca leaf:

I chewed Coca, not constantly, but frequently…and besides the agreeable soothing feeling it produced, I found that I could endure long abstinence from food with less inconvenience than I should otherwise have felt, and it enabled me to ascend precipitous mountain sides with a feeling of lightness and elasticity and without losing breath.[5]

It was not long before the Europeans were able to try and imitate these effects themselves.

  From Coca Leaf to Cocaine

The coca leaf and its effects were lost on Europeans for several years after the Spanish conquered South America .  The leaves could not withstand the long voyage to Europe , thereby loosing their effectiveness.  That all changed in 1859 when cocaine was discovered in Germany. This was the year that “Niemann at Goettingen University in Germany, isolated the principal alkaloid from the leaves and named it cocaine.  It was not long before those in the medical profession began experimenting with the new found drug.

  How Cocaine Became Well Known

At the young age of 28, Sigmund Freud began research into the potential of cocaine as a therapeutic treatment.  He experimented on himself as well as his fiancée, colleagues and patients.[6]  He was extremely impressed with this new drug.  His feelings were evident through his published writings and his recommendations to patients and friends.  However, this wonderment was not to last very long.  Soon after his paper on cocaine, “dozens, then hundreds of reports of compulsive cocaine use, psychoses, convulsions, deaths and other complications began to be reported…”[7]  Though cocaine was not useful in his profession, Freud’s enthusiasm for the drug led to a major accomplishment for his friend Karl Koller.

In 1884, the same year Freud began his experiments, Dr. Koller found a medicinal use for cocaine.  He was the first to perform eye surgery with a local anesthetic, cocaine.  The delicate surface of the eye coupled with the inability of the patient to control movement, surgery on this body part was nearly impossible before the numbing effects of cocaine.  However, the eyes were not the only area where the drug was of use.  “[Cocaine] was particularly useful in surgery of the nose and throat because of its ability to provide anesthesia, as well as to constrict blood vessels and limit bleeding.”[8]  This medicinal breakthrough of a local anesthetic was soon expanded to those outside of the medical profession.  Cocaine was not just only used for surgery, but it was integrated into daily life.

In 1891, Coca Cola® was created from cocaine as well as coca leaves and the kola nut.[9]  This concoction continued to be sold until 1904 when caffeine replaced cocaine.  It is speculated that Coca Cola® removed this ingredient because of government pressure, but it was not until 1906 that the Pure Food & Drug Laws were enacted.  These laws caused a widespread withdrawal of cocaine out of most products and medicines. Cocaine was not, however, made illegal until the passing of the Harrison Narcotics Act of 1914.  This act made cocaine possession illegal with punishments of fines and/or jail for those who disobeyed. The illegality of cocaine along with the negative effects caused many to shy away from the drug. This abstinence, however, did not last for long.

Rise in Popularity in the United States (for the second time)

The arrival of the 70’s brought about a change in attitude towards cocaine. The U.S. was flooded with cocaine that was brought in through Miami, and not much was done to curb this influx.  It was a common thought that cocaine was only available to, and used by the rich thereby not creating a threat.[10]  However, this was not the case.  In 1974, “5.4 million Americans acknowledged having tried cocaine at least once.”[11]  By 1979, cocaine use was at its peak in the United States. Many looked at cocaine as a recreational drug, one that was relatively harmless, so it was socially acceptable to try it.  This view was shared by Dr. Peter Bourne, who was the drug advisor to Jimmy Carter and Special Assistant for Health Issues.  He wrote, "Cocaine...is probably the most benign of illicit drugs currently in widespread use. At least as strong a case could be made for legalizing it as for legalizing marijuana. Short-acting....not physically addicting, and acutely pleasurable, cocaine has found increasing favor at all socioeconomic levels."[12]  It seemed that the lessons of the previous century had not been learned.

After peak usage in the early 80s, 22 million Americans said they had tried cocaine.[13]  That is about four times as many Americans than in 1974.  This large increase led to questions of where the drug was coming from and how to stop it.  When the dangerous effects caused by cocaine became more widely known, the problem of drug trafficking also came to the forefront.

Contact Information:
Email: jschmid2@naz.edu
Nazareth College of Rochester