Cocaine, one of the most powerful drugs, ever discovered, has a very interesting history. From a performance enhancer to a lifesaver, to the killer that it is, cocaine has come a long way. The journey from the Andes to the worldwide popularity that it enjoys now is nothing short of amazing. The essay follows the path traveled from the lesser-known coca leaves to the “rock” or “crack” as it is available today.
The first consumers of coca were the Aymara Indians of the Andes Mountains. At the beginning, the consumption of coca-leaves was reserved to princes and priests during religious ceremonies. (Consumption of coca in history by Appelboom T Verh K Acad Geneeskd Belg 1991; 53(5):487-96, http://www.cocaine.org/history/consumption.html (26, October, 2006).
Mother Nature most probably meant cocaine to be used only in its natural form, which is the leaves of the coca plant, native to the higher mountain ranges of South America. History tells us that it was used for thousands of years as a stimulant and as food by the natives in this region without leading to any kind of disaster.
The use of coca in pre-hispanic America is confirmed by archeological and artistic sources, such as sculptures, ceramics, fabrics and pictures. The historical and geographical diffusion of these pieces of evidence seems to point to the fact that coca has been a strong element in the union of the different cultures of this continent. Those pieces of evidence were mostly found in a religious bond and indicate towards the divine character awarded to this plant.
(Archeological and artistic sources of coca consumption in pre-hispanic America by Fierens E Verh K Acad Geneeskd Belg 1991; 53(5):463-85, http://www.cocaine.org/history/inca.html (26, October, 2006).
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The abuse of coca began once the Spanish invaders understood its power. They found that the natives could not work without it. Coca has always been a part of Andean culture. During colonial times, coca was used as payment to the miners. (Coca and Cocaine: An Andean Perspective. Contributors: Jonathan Cavanagh – translator, Felipe E Mac Gregor – editor, Rosemary Underhay – translator, p 1, Greenwood Press, Westport, CT , 1993. )
The news of the powerful leaves spread. Soon the leaves traveled everywhere and the drug became the darling of the masses and classes alike. From literary men to royalty, all loved it.” (Paul Valley, Drug That Spans The Ages: The History Of Cocaine http://www.november.org/stayinfo/breaking06/CokeHistory.html (26 Oct, 2006).
Freud’s Uber Coca, an ode to cocaine sparked a pro-cocaine wave. Soon the smarter set of traders used cocaine in cure-for-alls and the famous coca-cola too was born during this time.
“From 1860, when first synthesized in a German lab from dried Peruvian coca leaf, to around the turn of the century, openly legal and legitimate cocaine stirred a massive boom. Yet almost as rapidly, from 1900 to the 1920s, this early medical and commercial fascination with cocaine collapsed. Yet that birth of cocaine, as we know it, remains its hidden history. (Cocaine: Global Histories , Book by Paul Gootenberg; Routledge, 1999, p 1.)
In the 1880s cocaine was hailed as lifesaver and people could not have enough of it. In a decade the entire scenario changed. However, the damage was done. The repercussions from the drug abuse is strong and sustaining. It still continues, unabated. What was traditionally thought as a gift from the gods turned out be one from the devil.
References
Appelboom T Verh K Acad Geneeskd Belg , Consumption of coca in history, 1991;
53(5):487-96, http://www.cocaine.org/history/consumption.html (26, October, 2006).
Cavanagh Jonathan – translator, Gregor E Mac Felipe – editor, Underhay Rosemary
translator; Coca and Cocaine: An Andean Perspective, Greenwood Press, Westport,
CT , 1993. )
Fierens E Verh K Acad Geneeskd Belg , Archeological and artistic sources of coca consumption in pre-hispanic America, 1991; 53(5):463-85, http://www.cocaine.org/history/inca.html (26, October, 2006).
Gootenberg Paul, Cocaine: Global Histories; Routledge, 1999. p 1.
Valley Paul, Drug That Spans The Ages: The History Of Cocaine.
http://www.november.org/stayinfo/breaking06/CokeHistory.html (26 Oct, 2006).
