The U.S history of cocaine starts with its introduction in the 19th century. That’s when drug companies in America began exploring other parts of the world for medicinal remedies. It’s this exploration that led to their discovery of the coca plant. At first, people used coke as a nausea pills ingredient due to its numbing property. They also used it for pain relief in sinus medications.
But this infographic goes back to the first extraction of cocaine from the coca leaves. A German chemist called Albert Niemann extracted cocaine for the first time in 1858. The Coca-Cola Company added this extract to their product as the main ingredient in 1886. However, the company removed the extract from their products in 1903.
The government banned coke’s recreational use on the national level in 1905. Medical literature mentioned cases of snorting cocaine causing nasal damage in 1910, prompting the U.S government to list cocaine as a Schedule 1 drug alongside heroin in 1961.
This infographic presents essential information that creates awareness, which helps in curbing the use of this illegal and addictive substance.
Infographic by: addictionresource
