Trafficking In America

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Drugs 1 Drug Trafficking In the United States Use of Cocaine in America Carolyn Bennett Eng 122 Allorah Wyman 3/25/12 Drugs 2 The Use of Cocaine The topic that I choose to write on is Cocaine. Cocaine is used all over the world. It was first discovered in the mid 1800’s. At first it was used as an anesthetic during eye, nose and throat surgery. Then it was used for depression and addiction to morphine. By the early 1900s, it was the main ingredient in a wide range of medicines. It is believed that the original formula of Coca-Cola contained approximately 2.5 mg of cocaine per 100 mL of fluid. This formula was sold as a headache cure and stimulant. Another pharmacist bought the rights and…show more content…
These concerns from health officials and legal authorities played a major role in initiating and supporting the effort to pass the Harrison Narcotic Act of 1914. This Federal legislation severely restricted the legal uses for cocaine and, for all practical purposes, ended the extensive use and abuse of cocaine in the early part of the 20th century. Interestingly, cocaine hit a low during the 1930s when the advent of amphetamine almost eradicated demand. From the time of the Harrison Narcotic Act until the 1970s, cocaine use was generally limited to groups on the periphery of society. Legal prohibitions and severely restricted supplies of the drug helped to maintain its low profile. But microcultures of cocaine snorters, swallowers, and shooters remained, and cultivation of coca plants continued in the South American countries that traditionally grew them--Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador. As the cultural proscriptions against the use of drugs for recreational purposes weakened during the 1960s, cocaine again became part of the American drug scene. Its use increased along with the use of many other psychoactive substances. Snorting was the initial mode, and most experimenters were occasional consumers. They experienced the cocaine euphoria and generally went back to their "normal" lives. Because of this casual use, the fictitious notion arose that cocaine was

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