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    History - The Origins of Coca

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    Cristina Bermudez Alas-as
    Coca has been used for over 4,000 years in South America as a medicine and stimulant. In the late 19th century, American drug companies began exploring South America and introduced coca to Western medicine. While initially considered safe, coca's addictive properties became apparent within 30 years. In the 1970s, cocaine reemerged as an expensive, high status drug in the US, but its dangers were rediscovered. Today, Colombia produces around 70-80% of the world's cocaine supply from locally grown coca plants.

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    History - The Origins of Coca

    Uploaded by

    Cristina Bermudez Alas-as
    50 views6 pages
    Coca has been used for over 4,000 years in South America as a medicine and stimulant. In the late 19th century, American drug companies began exploring South America and introduced coca to Western medicine. While initially considered safe, coca's addictive properties became apparent within 30 years. In the 1970s, cocaine reemerged as an expensive, high status drug in the US, but its dangers were rediscovered. Today, Colombia produces around 70-80% of the world's cocaine supply from locally grown coca plants.

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    Cocaine

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    01 Drug Report

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    Coca has been used for over 4,000 years in South America as a medicine and stimulant. In the late 19th century, American drug companies began exploring South America and introduced coca to Western medicine. While initially considered safe, coca's addictive properties became apparent within 30 years. In the 1970s, cocaine reemerged as an expensive, high status drug in the US, but its dangers were rediscovered. Today, Colombia produces around 70-80% of the world's cocaine supply from locally grown coca plants.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    50 views6 pages

    History - The Origins of Coca

    Uploaded by

    Cristina Bermudez Alas-as
    Coca has been used for over 4,000 years in South America as a medicine and stimulant. In the late 19th century, American drug companies began exploring South America and introduced coca to Western medicine. While initially considered safe, coca's addictive properties became apparent within 30 years. In the 1970s, cocaine reemerged as an expensive, high status drug in the US, but its dangers were rediscovered. Today, Colombia produces around 70-80% of the world's cocaine supply from locally grown coca plants.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 6

    • HISTORY

    • The Origins of Coca


    • For over 4,000 years coca, Erythroxylon coca, has been used as a medicine and stimulant in what
    is now Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. European explorers in the 16th century made note of its
    existence and how it was used. In South America inhabitants would chew the leaves as they were
    believed to elevate mood, help with digestions, and suppress appetites. Up to the mid 19th
    century coca growing and use had been restricted to the area of its natural habitat, the Andes
    mountain range of the northwestern region of South America. Coca did not find use in Western
    medicine until the late 19th century when American drug companies began to explore that part
    of the world for new medicines. At first considered a safe stimulant and nerve tonic, coca's
    addictive and destructive properties became apparent within 30 years of its introduction as a
    pharmaceutical product.
    • Reemergence of Cocaine
    • When cocaine reappeared in the 1970s it was touted as the champagne of drugs because it was
    expensive, high status, and said to have no serious consequences. The price dropped steadily, and
    by the mid 1980s, six million Americans used it on a regular basis. Cocaine was gradually
    rediscovered to be highly addictive and dangerous. Today, groups in Colombia produce 70 to 80
    percent of the world's cocaine, which is made from locally grown coca plants and from cocaine
    base imported from Peru and Bolivia. It is estimated that Colombia produces 400 million dollars
    worth of cocaine each week.
    • Early Medical Uses
    • Cocaine was known for its quick numbing abilities. For this reason many early medicines such as
    toothache drops, nausea pills, and pills to ease sinus pain emphasized its pain relief qualities.
    • Cocaine as an Anesthetic
    • Cocaine still has limited use in medicine today as a local anesthetic. It is occasionally used in
    medical procedures as a topical anesthetic for skin lacerations, nose or throat surgeries, and
    dental procedures.
    Coca Leaves
    These are leaves from a coca plant grown in Colombia.
    • Freebase Cocaine
    • In the late 1970s freebasing, a method of smoking cocaine, coincided with an upsurge of cocaine
    abuse. The effects of freebasing are faster and more potent for the user, which makes this form of
    abuse more popular.
    • Crack
    • In the mid 1980s crack emerged as a dangerous form of cocaine. Crack has a modified chemical
    structure which allows it to reach the brain more quickly and produce a more intense high,
    allowing crack to have a greater potential for addiction. The name “crack” is derived from the
    crackling sound this form of cocaine makes when burned.
    • Preparing Cocaine for Sale
    • A scale, razor blade and sifter are common tools used by cocaine dealers when preparing cocaine
    for sale on the streets.

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