The history of cocaine dates back millions of years when the leaves of the coca shrub were used as a stimulant. Coca leaves were chopped up and placed on the gums creating an alertness and kind of buzz, much like several cups of coffee.
The alkaloid stimulant Cocaine is a derivative from the coca bush. The majority of coca bushes can be found on the slopes of the Andes Mountains in South America. But, there are some growing in the Amazon Jungle and in Indonesia. South America is by far the worlds largest producer of cocaine and cultivates 97% of the world’s crop. North America is the largest cocaine user, consuming about 70% of the worlds supply of cocaine.
In 1861, Albert Nieman, a graduate student from Germany was able to extract cocaine from the coca leaf which created a drug 200 times more powerful. This new drug gave people a really intense rush, euphoria, and an intense overpowering physical sensation. People were still absorbing it through their gums but they were also drinking it, snorting it, smoking it, and injecting it. It did not seem to matter how they experimented with it they were able to get high.
It wasn't until twenty years later when a physician, Karl Koller, found that cocaine has anesthetic abilities that cocaine became more widely used. About the same time, Sigmund Freud also started promoting the use of cocaine for treatment of depression, gastric disorders, alcohol addiction, and asthma.
But they eventually realized this miracle drug was very addictive and there were many negative things that accompanies the addiction to cocaine. Even though cocaine has been around for a very long time it became very popular in the early 1980's. That is when more and more drug treatment facilities started to see a huge increase in people seeking treatment for cocaine addiction.
