The Coca Leaf

Coca-cola got its name from the coca leaf extract which it contained (as did a variety of wines) until 1904. Neither tolerance nor physical addiction to cocaine seem to occur, so sniffing it occasionally should be quite safe. 

The coca leaf is commonly chewed by the natives of South America. The natives claim that the cocaine depresses their hunger and increases their strength. The leaves are very bitter when chewed and are often flavored with another substance such as lime. It has been estimated that over 90% of the Indians chew the coca leaf. The native chews, on an average, about two ounces of coca leaf daily and is often characterized by blackish red deposits on his teeth. 

The coca leaf is either consumed by the natives of South America or exported to other countries for consumption. Another use of the coca leaf is in the extraction of cocaine either for illegitimate or legitimate use. The majority of the legal and/or clandestine cocaine factories are in South America due to the cost and bulk of transporting the whole leaf. In 1961, Bolivia produced an annual crop of from 12,000 to 18,000 tons of leaves although only half reached the legal market. The alkaloid cocaine is extracted from the coca leaf in basically three different chemical procedures. These procedures are used both in licit and illicit labs in the production of cocaine. 

According to a chemist who assisted in the legal manufacture of cocaine, there are three basic methods of extracting cocaine from the coca leaf ... 

Once the cocaine has been legally produced from the coca leaf, it is exported to various countries for medicinal use, basically as a topical local anesthetic (applied to the surface, not injected, only treating a particular area). In the United States the crystalline powder is imported to pharmaceutical companies who process and package the cocaine for medical use. Merck Pharmaceutical Company and Mallinckrodt Chemical Works distribute cocaine in crystalline form (Hydrochloride Salt) in dark colored glass bottles to pharmacies and hospitals throughout the United States. Cocaine, in the alkaloid form (base drug containing no additives such as hydrochloride in the crystalline form) is rarely used for medicinal purposes. Cocaine hydrochloride crystals or flakes come in Vs, A and 1 ounce bottles from the manufacturer and has a wholesale price of approximately 20 to 25 per ounce (100% pure). 

Coca has long been known to the Indians of the Andes region, who chewed the leaves for stimulation and increased endurance (Rudgley 1999). The coca leaf was an important part of the Inca culture. Knowledge of the plant spread to western cultures with colonialism, but wide-... 

Cocaine is found in several forms. It can be extracted from the coca leaf to form coca paste (basuco, pitillo), which is not water soluble but can be smoked. The paste can be further treated to form cocaine hydrochloride (cocaine powder), which can be dissolved in water and injected, or can be snorted into the nostril. 

There is still a strong concentration of cocaine seizures in the Americas (85 per cent). South America, where all of the coca leaf originates and most of the cocaine is produced, accounted for 51 per cent of global seizures,... 

Based on new field research on the coca leaf yield in the Yungas of La Paz, the potential production of cocaine HCl in Bolivia in 2006 was 94 metric tons, an increase by 18 per cent compared to the revised production estimate of 80 metric tons in 2005. The increase in cocaine production is much more pronounced than the coca cultivation increase due to the fact that most of the area increase took place in Chapare, where coca leaf yields are more than twice the amount recorded in the Yungas of La Paz. 

John Pemberton of Atlanta, Georgia, markets Coca-Cola as an alternative to alcohol, which had been banned in the city. The new drink includes extracts of the coca leaf and kola nuts. 

German chemist, Albert Niemann, separates cocaine from the coca leaf. 

The Coca Leaf Early Use of Cocaine The Amphetamines Cocaine Epidemic II The Return of Meth Pharmacokinetics of Stimulants Mechanism of Stimulant Action Acute Effects at Low and Moderate Doses... 

The use of cocaine by humans dates back to prehistoric times. The Incas of the Andes regions of Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru developed the practice of chewing the coca leaf more than 3,000 years ago. Archeological sites in Peru that date back to 1300 B.C. contain mummified bodies with shell vessels for coca and the powdered lime used even today to enhance absorption of cocaine from the leaf (Streatfeild, 2001). Coca was a sacred drug to the Incas. Mama Coca" was viewed as possessing a goddess-like essence. One myth had it that coca had been a beautiful woman who was executed for adultery. From her remains the divine coca plant grew, to be consumed only by royalty in her memory (Petersen, 1977). 

Consider the different effects and risks associated with the various forms of cocaine (chewing the coca leaf, snorting cocaine, injecting cocaine, smoking crack). Should different laws and penalties be applied to the different forms ... 

However, this research does not imply that cocaine use is safe. The size of the coca leaf quid that can be chewed comfortably releases only a small amount of cocaine, much less than what is present in the powdered or crystallized form common to modern recreational use. 

As learned in previous chapters, cocaine is derived from leaves of the coca bush. The coca leaf contains about one percent cocaine. 

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