The plant grows almost exclusively in northern and western South America. It is estimated that Colombia produces 400 million dollars’ worth of cocaine each week.Ĭocaine is produced from the leaves of the coca plant ( Erythoxylon coca). Today, groups in Colombia produce 70 to 80 percent of the world's cocaine, which is made from locally grown coca plants and cocaine base imported from Peru and Bolivia. Cocaine can also affect the function of the brain and its ability to regulate stress and mood. These problems include stomach ulcers, severe depression, inflammation or palpitations of the heart, and bleeding in the lungs. Because the body begins to rely on the stimulant, there are long term health problems that individuals may suffer from. Due to its chemical make-up, the body processes cocaine as a stimulant. Cocaine was gradually rediscovered to be highly addictive and dangerous, a fact driven home by the death of college basketball star Len Bias in June 1986. The price dropped steadily, and by the mid-1980s, six million Americans used it on a regular basis. When cocaine reappeared in the 1970s it was touted as the champagne of drugs because it was expensive, high status, and said to have no serious consequences. At first considered a safe stimulant and nerve tonic, coca's addictive and destructive properties became apparent within 30 years of its introduction as a pharmaceutical product. Coca did not find use in Western medicine until the late 19th century when American drug companies began to explore that part of the world for new medicines. Up to the mid-19th century coca growing and use had been restricted to the area of its natural habitat, the Andes mountain range of the northwestern region of South America.
In South America inhabitants would chew the leaves as they were believed to elevate mood, help with digestion, and suppress appetites. European explorers in the 16th century made note of its existence and how it was used.
For over 4,000 years coca, or Erythroxylon coca, has been used as a medicine and stimulant in what is now Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia.
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