Overview:
Cocaine (or crack in its freebase form) is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system and an appetite suppressant, giving rise to what has been described as a euphoric sense of happiness and increased energy. It is most often used recreationally for this effect.
Nonetheless, cocaine is formally used in medicine as a topical anesthetic, specifically in eye, nose and throat surgery.
The stimulating qualities of the coca leaf were known to the ancient peoples of Peru and other pre-Colombian Andean societies.
In modern Western countries, cocaine has been a feature of the counterculture for over a century. There is a long list of prominent intellectuals, artists, politicians, and musicians who have used the drug — ranging from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sigmund Freud to U.S. Presidents Ulysses S. Grant and reportedly, George W. Bush. At one time, cocaine could be found in trace amounts in the Coca-Cola beverage for several decades after the beverage's release, though that is no longer the case.
