Cocaine use probably dates back thousands of years before recorded history. Drawings showing cocaine use were discovered on pottery dating back to ancient Incan civilizations in South America around 1200 A.D. Incan civilizations believed cocaine was a gift from the gods and was mainly used by the ruling class.

When the Spanish conquistadors arrived in South America they thought cocaine was sinful and forbid its use. However they later found that if they allowed their Indian slaves to use cocaine, they worked harder. Coca leaves became so valuable that they were used as money. The Spaniards paid the Incans in coca leaves for mining and hauling gold and silver

Originally cocaine was used by chewing coca leaves like gum. During the last half of the nineteenth century Europeans became increasingly interested in cocaine and in 1860 cocaine was separated from the coca leaf by Albert Niemann. French chemist Angelo Mariani used extracts from the coca leaf in many products including tea and cough drops but it was his coca leaf wine called then Vino Mariani that made him famous. Mariani wine was used by such famous individuals as President William McKinley and Pope Leo XVII. The Pope was so impressed that he awarded Angelo Mariani a gold medal

Cocaine found uses in the medical field as well. Doctors injected cocaine under the skin to numb pain. As recently as the early 1900’s, cocaine continued to be used as a secret ingredient in medicines but in 1914 the Harrison Narcotic Act prohibited the use of cocaine in medicines and other products which made cocaine less available and much more expensive

After the Harrison act cocaine became socially unacceptable and its use was minimal from 1914 through the 1960s. In the 1970s cocaine reappeared among many famous people in the sports and entertainment industries. Snorting cocaine became quite fashionable. Using cocaine was considered a sign of success considering its high price tag. In the 1980s comedian John Belushi died of a cocaine-heroin overdose and comedian Richard Pryor was badly burned while free basing cocaine.

In 1990 Marion Berry, the Mayor of Washington DC, was caught on tape using cocaine and forced to resign as Mayor. Several other famous people are known to have been cocaine users. Among them are authors Jules Verne who wrote 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who wrote the Sherlock Holmes mysteries. American inventor Thomas Edison used cocaine as well.

Cocaine can cause sudden death because it produces cardiac arrhythmia which is an irregular heartbeat. When the heart is stressed it vibrates rapidly. This is called fibrillation. Sometimes fibrillation can be stopped and the normal heart beat can be restored. But in some cases when the normal heart beat cannot be restored fibrillation results in death