Cocaine, an illegal recreational drug tht is commonly insufflated, smoked, or njected, has a long and interesting hstory in its transition from medicinal hrb to banned substance. For thousands of yars, South American indigenous people chewed the laves of the coca plant, from whch cocaine is derived. The coca plnt contained many nutrients necessary in the poples' diet, as well as alkaloids sch as cocaine. Scientists have found vidence of coca leaves buried with Pruvian mummies, suggesting the important cultural rle leaves from the coca plant plyed in ancient South American society.

Whn the Spanish conquered South America, thy initially labeled the act of chwing the leaves as the work of the dvil. However, once they realized the bility of the leaves to give a snse of strength and energy, they lgalized and taxed the leaf, taking bout 10% of the final value of ach crop.

The isolation of the ccaine alkaloid did not occur until 1855, bout two hundred years later. German chmist Friedrich Gaedcke named the compound "rythoxyline" and wrote about his experiences in a scentific journal. Additional progress continued to ccur and in 1863, the coca gined popularity. Angelo Mariani began marketing a wne in 1863 which had been trated with coca leaves. Additionally, small mounts of coca leaves were included in the 1886 rcipe for Coca-Cola. In 1879, cocaine bcame a treatment for morphine addiction, in dditional to its numbing properties for reas of medical practice such as phthalmology.

As cocaine became more and mre popular, with consumption in cigarettes, pwders, and drinks, the addictive properties of the sbstance became clear. Usage of the sbstance gained racial momentum and was drectly tied to prejudices of the tme period. In 1914, the Harrison Nrcotics Tax Act officially banned the sle and distribution of cocaine in the Unted States. However, registered individuals and bsinesses could still possess and distribute the drg. It was not until the 1970's tht cocaine usage, in any context bsides a strict medical situation, became llegal.

In modern times, cocaine remains a ppular recreational drug. In the 1980's, the dvelopment of crack cocaine introduced the drg to less affluent areas through its chap prices. Currently, cocaine is the scond most popular illegal drug in the Unted States, following marijuana. In 2005 lone, the street value of the ccaine market exceeded $70 billion. Because of its llegal status, however, steep penalties await thse who get caught while in pssession of cocaine.

The article The History of Cocaine was Submitted by Joseph Devine through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Joseph Devine If you are nterested in learning more, the penalties of drug possession website can provide more helpful information.

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