Cocaine - Overview
Overview
The coca plant grows in only one part of the world: the northwestern and central regions of South America. A huge portion of the great Andes Mountain system lies along the western coast of the continent. The warm, humid air and rich soil found among these mountain highlands are well suited for the growth of coca. More than a third of the world's supply of coca leaf is grown in Colombia, a South American coastal nation surrounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the north. The rest is grown in the nearby countries of Peru and Bolivia, which share portions of the massive mountain ranges.
Since the mid-1960s, the huge cocaine trade has been the source of violence and political unrest in Colombia. According to Paul M. Gahlinger in Illegal Drugs: A Complete Guide to Their History, Chemistry, Use, and Abuse, nearly 700 million pounds of coca leaf is produced in South America each year. That is enough leaves to produce well over 500 tons of cocaine. Gahlinger explained that the majority of it "is destined for the United States." The southern part of Colombia is the location of coca leaf processing laboratories. From these labs, converted cocaine powder is shipped to the United States, usually arriving through Mexico; Puerto Rico; Miami, Florida; or New York City.
A Longtime South American Tradition
South Americans in the Andes Mountains have chewed coca leaves for generations. For more than 4,000 years, the mountain people have used coca in much the same way Europeans and North Americans use coffee: for its mild stimulating effects. The leaves are not simply plucked and chewed. Rather, a bit of lime or plant ash is added to the leaves and then the mixture is chewed together. This process helps the naturally
occurring cocaine alkaloidA nitrogen-containing substance found in plants. to be released and absorbed into the user's cheek. After about a half an hour, the wad is spit out.
The leaves are also recognized for their medicinal value. When chewed or made into tea, they reportedly ease digestive troubles and reduce the symptoms of certain psychological ills. When used in whole-leaf form, cocaine does not produce a "highDrug-induced feelings ranging from excitement and joy to extreme grogginess." and is not addictive.
Attempts to introduce coca leaves to North American and European nations were largely unsuccessful. The leaves of the coca plant tend to rot quickly. This caused considerable problems with shipping, because the stimulating effects and the medicinal value of the plant were both lost before it could reach its destination. In 1858, however, German chemist Albert Niemann managed to separate cocaine from the coca leaf. In doing so, he unleashed the world's most powerful naturally occurring stimulant. The salt form (cocaine hydrochloride), commonly known as powder cocaine(cocaine hydrochloride) an addictive psychoactive substance derived from coca leaves; it is either snorted into the nose or mixed with water and injected into the veins., travels quite well. Soon, large quantities were being consumed far beyond the Andes Mountains.
Cure-All or Curse?
From the 1860s through the early 1900s, cocaine was thought to be a "cure-all." Medical experts mistakenly believed that, like the whole-leaf form, powder cocaine was also non-addictive. For more than four decades, cocaine use was unregulated and widespread in both Europe and the United States. No prescription was necessary to obtain the drug, and it could easily be purchased at grocery stores, at drugstores, and through mail-order catalogs. Containers of 99.9 percent pure powder cocaine were available for sale on the open market.
Cocaine-laced beverages were extremely popular as well. One coca wine known as Vin Mariani was widely recommended by doctors for improving health. The original formula for Coca-Cola, a beverage created by John Pemberton in the 1880s, is said to have contained 60 milligrams of cocaine per serving. However, claims about the exact amount used have not been backed up by solid evidence. (Coca-Cola no longer uses any cocaine in its products.) Cocaine was seen as a remedy for many conditions, including fatigue, toothaches, hay fever, asthma, seasickness, and vomiting during pregnancy.
Although experts maintained that powder cocaine was not an addictive drug, frequent and heavy users began showing unmistakable signs of physical and psychological dependenceThe belief that a person needs to take a certain substance in order to function, whether that person really does or not.. By the close of the nineteenth century, reports of nasal damage, addiction, and cocaine-related deaths had surfaced. The toxic and addictive nature of cocaine became public knowledge. By the time the U.S. government stepped in to ban cocaine in 1914, most people were already shunning it.
Usage Decreases until the 1970s
Over the next fifty or so years, cocaine use and abuse was very low. Then, in the 1970s, powder cocaine use began to skyrocket. This trend was followed in the 1980s by a surge in the use of a new form of cocaine called crack. Because crack cocaineA highly addictive, smokable freebase cocaine made by combining powder cocaine with water and sodium bicarbonate. is cheaper than powder, it became more readily available to the young and the poor. Crack addiction and crime began to increase rapidly. Television coverage of the epidemic was massive. In response to public concern, the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 and 1988 was passed. This federal law includes mandatory minimum sentences for first-time offenders. The penalties are much harsher for possession of crack cocaine than powder cocaine.
Andrew Weil and Winifred Rosen noted in their book From Chocolate to Morphine: "Many people can't leave this drug alone if they have it, even though all they get from it after a while is the unpleasant effects characteristic of all stimulants used in excess: anxiety, insomnia, and general feelings of discomfort." Because of
its addictive and destructive nature, a worldwide effort is under way to reduce the production and illicitUnlawful. use of cocaine.
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