ABSTRACT
The coca/cocaine distinction corresponds to a more general distinction, often blurred, whereby the balance between benefits and hazards of drugs shifts according to the circumstances surrounding their use. Cocaine is the only local anaesthetic which also acts as a vasoconstrictor. These dual effects have made it a drug of choice for surgery involving the mucous membranes of the nose, throat, and ear. A number of investigators believed that cocaine is ineffective when ingested orally because of hydrolysis, and it has been suggested that alkaloids other than cocaine—including arecoline, ecgonine, and nicotine—may account for some of the effects of coca leaf chewing. Cocaine and coca were in vogue in Europe and North America in the latter half of the 19th century. The migration of Andean peasants to new agricultural settlements on the eastern slopes to grow coca has led to their rapid integration into the national society and economy.
