Development of Cocaine

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In a study conducted in 2010, it was found that over 1,500,000 people in the United States used Cocaine, third in drugs after psychotherapeutic drugs, and Marijuana. The number of cocaine users in the United States seems to be slowly shrinking, but the number is still uncomfortably large.
Cocaine comes from the erythroxylum coca bush leaves, which was originally found in the Andes region in South America 3,000 years before the birth of Christ. Coca is considered to be the oldest natural origin stimulate that currently exits. Ancient Incas in the Andes Mountains chewed on the leaves of this plant to give their hearts a kick start and speed their breathing up to counteract the affects of living at such a high altitude. In Peru, the natives only chewed the plant during religious events. After Spanish soldiers invaded Peru in 1532 and conquered the native Indians forcing them into labor in silver mines, the natives were forced to chew coca leaves because it made them easier to control, and the negligent use of the coca leaves began.
It wasn’t until 1859 that German Chemist Albert Niemann isolated cocaine by extracting it from the coca leaves. It took thirty years for the drugs popularity to surface in the medical community. Cocaine was originally promoted by the Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund frued as a “magical” substance, that cured depression and sexual impotence. Freud published the article, “Uber Coca” which meant about coke. In the article he referred to all the benefits of cocaine. Freud was a regular user of the substance and prescribed it to all of his friends and patience. But one Freuds close friends suffered from paranoid hallucinations from the prescription and one of his patient died from a large dosage the he had ...

... middle of paper ...

...nd enforcement being put in the correct places, cocaine will one day be eliminated in our nation all together.

Works Cited

Cocaine Abuse. (2012) Cocaine Abuse. Cocaine Use Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.cocaineabuse.us/statistics-facts.html
Defense Human Resource Activity. (2013) Cocaine. Retrieved from http://www.dhra.mil/perserec/adr/drugs/cocaine.htm
Foundation for a Drug-Free World (2013) The Truth about Cocaine. Retrieved from http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/cocaine/why-is-cocaine-so-highly- addictive.html
Office of National Drug Control Policy. (2011). Texas Drug Control Update. Drug Use Trend in Texas. Retrieved from http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/state_profile_-_texas.pdf
WebMD. (2013). Mental Health Center. Cocaine Use and its Effects. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/cocaine-use-and-its-effects

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