Cocaine appeared seemingly out of nowhere in the popular imagination sometime in the 1970s as the ultimate party drug for the disco generation; soon after, its destructive effects could no longer be ignored. But in fact, the history of cocaine addiction dates back to the nineteenth century, when it was legal and available over the counter for the treatment of ailments ranging from stomach aches to colic and baby toothaches. But thousands of years before that, the raw coca leaf was essential to the development of indigenous South American cultures. How did the sacred plant of the Incas become the addictive white powder that captivated and nearly destroyed prominent figures like Sigmund Freud and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, among countless others? And how did it acquire the destructive power depicted in films and television series like Scarface and Narcos? This book tells that story.

Cocaine appeared seemingly out of nowhere in the popular imagination sometime in the 1970s as the ultimate party drug for the disco generation; soon after, its destructive effects could no longer be ignored. But in fact, the history of cocaine addiction dates back to the nineteenth century, when it was legal and available over the counter for the treatment of ailments ranging from stomach aches to colic and baby toothaches. But thousands of years before that, the raw coca leaf was essential to the development of indigenous South American cultures. How did the sacred plant of the Incas become the addictive white powder that captivated and nearly destroyed prominent figures like Sigmund Freud and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, among countless others? And how did it acquire the destructive power depicted in films and television series like Scarface and Narcos? This book tells that story.