20. Originally Coca-Cola Contained Traces Of Cocaine... And The Company Have A Special Trade Arrangement So They Can Still Import Dried Coca Leaves From Peru
When Coca-Cola was first created in 1885, it was made using two key ingredients: caffeine... and cocaine. Yes, the Class-A drug was in Coca-Cola until at least 1903 - due to the fact fresh coca leaves were used to create it - with an estimated nine milligrams of cocaine per glass at one point. However, from 1904 onwards "spent" as opposed to fresh coca leaves were used - meaning the leftovers of the cocaine-extraction process were no longer prevalent on the product used to manufacture the drink. Interestingly, because Coca-Cola still uses coca leaves in its brewing process, a Stepan Company plant in Maywood, New Jersey, is the only manufacturing venue in the USA authorised by the Federal Government to import and process the plant. The Drug Enforcement Agency allows the company to import dried coca leaves from Peru, and sometimes even Bolivia, in huge quantities - and then the remainder of the cocaine is even sold off to a pharmaceutical manufactured in St Louis, Missouri. Bizarre but true...
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
