ABSTRACT

The use of cocaine (benzoylmethylecgonine) began about 3,000 years ago, according to Inca documents found in the area of what is now known as Peru and Bolivia (1,2). Cocaine is a naturally occurring alkaloid extracted from the coca shrub Erythroxylon coca, which grows abun­ dantly in the West Indies, Central and South America, and Mexico (3-5). The coca plant should not be confused with the cocoa plant, which contains another stimulant, caf­ feine. The coca plant grows to a maximum of 7 or 8 feet in height, and the cocaine extracted represents roughly 1% of the dry weight of the coca leaf (6,7). During the time of the Incas, coca leaves were considered precious and were usually reserved for use by the nobility and for religious ceremonies, although they were used by others as well because of their energizing properties.