Cocaine In Coca-Cola?


 - by Aryan  

Elon Musk, the world’s richest person and the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, is known for his controversial tweets on the platform X (earlier known as Twitter), which people also find humorous. In one such tweet which he made on April 28, 2022, mentioned “Next I’m buying Coca-Cola to put the cocaine back in”. This tweet got 4.3 million likes, making it among one of the most like tweets on the platform. This tweet was made by Musk right after acquiring the platform X, with a humorous intent.


(Link for this tweet: https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1519480761749016577?t=xqsbc_pE5L5UkhOlWseSlA&s=19 )


But the question is, what did he really mean by “putting cocaine back in”? Did Coca-Cola, one of the world’s most popular soft drinks, contained cocaine in the drinks in the early days? Absolutely yes. And not so surprisingly, many might not even know about this fact.

Coca-Cola has a fascinating history, particularly regarding its early ingredients. When the beverage was first introduced in 1886 by Dr. John Stith Pemberton, a pharmacist from Atlanta, Georgia, it contained two key ingredients: coca leaf extract and kola nut, which provided caffeine. The coca leaf extract contained a small amount of cocaine, a substance that was legal at the time and commonly used in medicinal products.

Pemberton originally marketed Coca-Cola as a tonic for various ailments, including headaches and fatigue. The presence of cocaine in the drink was believed to have stimulating and therapeutic effects. At that time, cocaine was widely used in medicines, including painkillers and cough syrups.

However, as awareness of cocaine’s addictive properties grew in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, public opinion began to shift. Pressure from medical professionals and social reformers led Coca-Cola to gradually reduce the amount of cocaine in its formula. By 1904, the company started using "spent" coca leaves, which had most of their cocaine content removed.

In 1929, Coca-Cola completely eliminated any trace of cocaine from its formula, following stricter regulations and growing concerns over drug abuse. Today, the beverage still uses coca leaf extract, but it is processed in a way that removes all narcotic components.

So, while Musk’s tweet was clearly a joke, it did spark curiosity about Coca-Cola’s history. But imagine if the original recipe still existed today—would Coca-Cola be a soft drink or a prescription-only energy booster? Either way, with the way things are going, maybe the next viral tweet will be about putting actual kola nuts back in the drink. Who knows, maybe in a few decades, we’ll be debating whether caffeine itself was ever too stimulating!

 

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