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3000 BCE
Where it Began
Indigenous people in the Amazon Rainforest and Andes Mountains chewed on coca leaves to stimulate their brains. -
Discovered
Albert Niemann (German chemist) discovered cocaine by extracting it from coca leaves. -
The First Effects of Cocaine
a chemist from the French island of Corsica starting selling a tonic that would restore vitality and calm nerves -
Popularized
Cocaine began to appear in the medical community -
Period: to
Coca-Cola
John Pemberton added coca leaves inside his drink -
Period: to
Coca Leaves
Importing coca leaves tripled its amount. -
Addicts
There were over 200,000 cocaine addicts reported. -
Snorting Cocaine
Cocaine was being used as a drug to sniff, causing many to be in the hospital. -
The Harrison Narcotics Act
This was the first federal law to enforce the target of cocaine, morphine, and heroin. -
Banned
The government saw many deaths because of cocaine and banned it. -
Fashionable New Drug
Cocaine was used as a drug to "wake you up" or to "lift you up". Mostly the rich would use this drug. -
The King of Cocaine
Pablo Escobar had the largest drug cartel, importing 400-500 tons of cocaine from Colombia. -
Glorification
Movies like "Scarface" and songs like "Coacine" by Eric Clapton exploited cocaine to many people, making it popular. -
Crack
Cocaine cooked with water was being introduced as a less pricey drug, but had long-term socioeconomic effects. Crack became very popular in places like, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Detroit, Miami, Houston, and Atlanta. -
Largest Drug
Became the second most trafficked illegal drug. -
Overdoses
Cocaine had become the most used drug in the world to overdose on. -
Cocaine in America Currently
According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, over 6 million people died from cocaine and over 900,000 had used crack at the same time. -
