The Coca Plant And The Physical Effects Of The Coca Plant

Cocaine, a narcotic drug that took the entire world by storm in the 1980’s, has continued to find it’s way into countries all over the world. The drug is a highly addictive stimulant that is extracted from the leaves of the Erythroxylon coca bush, which is indigenous to the Andean highlands of South America. It comes in two main forms, powder and crystalline, also known as “crack” (“Cocaine Use and Its Effects”). Although the short term effects of cocaine seem somewhat harmless, the long term effects are devastating and have ruined the lives of many users. The short and long term effects of cocaine can be seen on Ishmael Beah, and his companions in the novel A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah.

Cocaine is a naturally occurring alkaloid found in certain varieties of the coca plant. The plant can grow in widely varied climates and soil conditions, though the highest cocaine content is found in plants that are

Crack cocaine has been popular since the 1970s and mid 1980s. Crack cocaine is not a new drug; this drug is obtained from coca plant which grows mainly in South America. For many years, the native South American Indians chewed its leaves to develop strength and increased energy. By the 1800s, the cocaine was secluded from its leaves and used as a medicinal drug. By the late 1800s, it was used as an anesthetic and to avert surgical hemorrhage. The next century, people recognized crack cocaine an addictive narcotic and its non-medical use of the drug was ended by the Harrison Narcotics Act in 1914 (“How crack cocaine works?”).

Cocaine is a naturally occurring substance deriving from the Erythroxylum coca plant. The coca plant is autogenous to Indonesia, South America, Mexico and the West Indies. Historically, many cultures have utilized coca leaves for religious and ceremonial applications. Cocaine itself remains prevalent in literary and artist works of many cultures and continues to be represented in archeological finds around the world. In South America the leaves were often chewed to help the indigenous tribes overcome hunger. To many other civilizations it was considered a sacred gift from the gods. Cocaine was often used as local anesthetic for a plethora of ailments.

The coca leaf does not yield the potency to deliver any type of overwhelming effect. The coca leaf in natural form gives the similar effect that a well caffeinated cup of coffee would (Arts and Entertainment Network). It wasn’t until Albert Niemann, a German scientist, extracted and processed the coca leaf ingredients, would it become a potent drug. In 1860, Niemann would rename the results of his extraction, cocaine (Arts and Entertainment Network).

From the third world of many South American countries, to the third street projects in the inner-city, to the third floor of a downtown luxury loft, cocaine is prevalent and being used. The business of the coca leaf is a billion dollar a year industry, if not more. Our foreign counterparts are profiting in full off of the drug. Mexico, Peru, and Colombia are some of the countries in Central and South America that are profiting and manufacturing cocaine.

The scientific interest in cocaine was part of an awakening of Peruvian scientific nationalism. Lima’s medical elites and modern chemistry transformed the coca plant into medicinal cocaine in the nineteenth century. Peruvians took an herb that held deep cultural meanings in Incan history and changed it into an exclusive and modern good. This early study of coca combined science and patriotism. Peruvian scientist’s proximity and experiences lent a privileged place as compared to scientists in Europe. With help from Peruvians like Moreno y Maíz and J. C. Ulloa, elite scientific nationalism made local and traditional coca and universal and scientifically modern cocaine into national subjects, or what Gootenberg calls “highland

Cocaine originated from South America, from coca leaves. Originally, the coca leaves were chewed by workers to decrease fatigue, improve endurance and have a greater resistance to the cold. This was to benefit the workers so they could work longer hours and be more productive. In 1855 the active ingredient in cocaine was isolated from the leaves, and in 1880 it was used as a local anesthetic (Nunes,2006). It was also used in coca cola. In 1855, coca cola was a soda beverage that contained sixty milligrams of cocaine for every eight ounces of the beverage. The idea behind this was to give people energy and a sense of well being (Nunes, 2006). By the late 1880s Sigmund Freud was using cocaine regularly and was even recommending it to others.

Drug trafficking reached its height in Colombia around 1982. They were importing foreign exchange estimating to range between $800 million and $2 billion. Colombia reached its highest peak of economic success, allowing for the countries development of communities, parks, etc. However, the cartels were not satisfied and began to set up coca

Drugs have a particularly interesting history within the United States. Many of the well-known and highly addictive narcotics of today like heroin, cocaine, and opium, were previously used in a variety of mundane ways. They were present in drinks and in health tonics/elixirs for treatment of an array of illnesses and as pain relief (“What is Cocaine?”, 2016). Perhaps the most consumed soft drink of all time, Coca Cola, derived its name from the coca plant – giving a glimpse into its cocaine containing past. However, it was not soon after, that drugs began to lose their credibility about their effectiveness in food and medicine. By the early 1900s, they were

One of the most detrimental and addictive narcotics in the world today is cocaine. Cocaine dates back as early as 3000 BC. Ancient Incas used the coca leaves to counter the effects of living in thin mountain air. Native Peruvians in the 1500’s chewed the plant strictly for religious ceremonies. Andean Indians are believed to chew the leaves of the coca plant to increase their energy for work while decreasing their hunger and pain. It wasn’t until 1859 when a German chemist Albert Niemann successfully extracted the narcotic from the coca leaf. In the 1880’s, it was freely prescribed by physicians for “maladies as exhaustion, depression, and morphine addiction and was available in many patent medicines” (“Cocaine”), until users and doctors began to realize its dangers and side effects. While it was not fully understood at the time, cocaine has many devastating and lasting effects on the user.

Medically, Coca-Cola was mainly used to relieve stomach problems, but was also used as a painkiller. The coca leaves of the Incas were used as an additive in Coca-Cola, which contained the addictive drug cocaine (the cocaine was removed in the early 20th century). The second main additive was the kola nut, responsible for the high amount of caffeine in

According to the article Coca and indentity in Peru. The origins of the Coca culture in Peru comes from coca being grown mostly in the eastern Andes. Coca was especially grown in the regions of the Huallaga and Apurimac valleys. Coca is tied through the Peruvian national identity by it's geographic diversity of jungles, highlands, deserts and beaches. The practice of chewing coca has a strong cultural meaning for indigenous communities in the Andes.

The shrubs and plants from which both drugs are derived from and processed has been well known in Colombia for centuries, but until the 1970s drug refiners and traffickers had not taken full advantage. The chewing of coca

Over the past three decades, the US has spent more than a trillion dollars to curtail drug industry operations in Latin America. During 1980s, Peru, Bolivia and Columbia used to contribute 65%, 25% and 10% toward the overall coca production globally. Since then, due to many US funded war efforts on drugs in these neighboring Andean countries, drug industry in Columbia got a tremendous boost, increasing its market share to 90% and making it the world’s largest cocaine producer ever by 2000. Between 2000 and 2010, US invested close to $7.3bn on military and economic aid to eradicate coca production and cocaine trafficking. The project