Cocaine

Cocaine is a drug made from the sap of coca leaves. It is a local anesthesic, useful in nasal surgeries because it is also a vasoconstrictor.

In South America, for years people have enjoyed chewing on the leaves of the plant for the mild stimulant effect.

Some European discovered cocaine in the 1800s and started purifying it and taking it systemically, and made a lot of people into abusers. Among them was Sigmund Freud. It is highly addictive, and laboratory rats will choose cocaine over food.

It enjoyed a resurgence of popularity in the 1980s. The television show Miami Vice documents the culture of that era.

It is a prohibited substance and illegal to possess in most countries. Nevertheless it is heavily trafficked because it is very portable and a few kilograms can be worth thousands of dollars.