Jersey Cambell's dia numero siete y ocho

Excuse me boys and girls, I forgot to set the tone for my last post. Can't have a history of cocaine lesson without some Eric Clapton.

The scope of cocaine use in medical products is well documented, and from what we know of the drug so far, all claims made by doctors and drug manufacturers in the late 1800s are somewhat legitimate.

By 1905 snorting coke became popular. By 1910 the first cases of nasal damage from snorting is found in medical journal and seen in hospitals. in 1912 the US Government reported 5,000 cocaine related fatalities in one year.

The tide began to turn during the great moral panic of the early 20th century. Blacks, Mexicans, and Filipinos were pissing on the moral fabric of America. Cocaine was being linked to derelicts, gamblers, prostitutes, pimps, burglars, blacks, and other low-class members of society. Some doctors and social scientists even went so far as to say that many interracial rapes were by cocaine- craving black men. (Side note: they also pinned the image of the mad black man onto marijuana as well. Cocaine makes some sense, but weed? Indoctrination and manipulation knows no bounds.)

The Harrison Narcotics Act was passed into law in December, 1914. The law regulated and taxed the production, importation, and distribution of opiates and coca leaves. Lets look at the events that led up to the passing of this legislation (brace yourself for a history lesson). I'll spare us all the explanation of the opiate condition in America.

The Journal of American Medicine published an editorial stating that the niggers from the south were using coke. Newspapers ran with this idea and started talking about how the coke caused the niggers to rape white women and could even improve their shooting accuracy. A scary thought indeed. If most of the rape cases in the south against our precious white women were by cocaine-crazed black men, we must regulate the drug to ensure the safety of our people. This is basically how they were able to outlaw marijuana too. Lies and propaganda. Linking a drug to a perceived threatening class or race often fueled American's perception on that drug. (It's not just America though. In the 19th century the Chinese regarded opium as a tool of Western domination, and used that in their anti-opium campaigns.)

Accoridng to the Harrison Act, cocaine was still illegal for distribution and use, but for registered companies and individuals it was as legal as discrimination and segregation. So while you could still get it prescribed by doctors, you wouldn't find any cocaine cigarettes at the local grocery. But the public fear of the drug had already been planted in the minds of the people. Cocaine use declined steadily through the 1930s, when the New York City Mayor's Committee on drug addiction declared that cocaine was no longer a societal problem, if it ever was.

Jersey Campbell's dia numbero cinco y seis

Ask any druggie who knows his history (they're not as rare as you think) what year he would like to time travel to. I guarantee that the 1800s will be in the top three responses. Aside from the puritans and social reformers lambasting drunkards and denouncing alcohol, a minor cold would grant you access to at least a shot of some opiates. The question is not what was available, it's what wasn't available. Coke, heroine, opium, morphine, quaaludes, cigarettes (what could bogeys cure? Asthma of course!), alcohol, chloroform, marijuana, soda, amphetamines, barbiturates, and various other quack remedies could be had over the counter (I miss the good ole days). Most of these drugs are now illegal.

Have a pain? Here's some cocaine!

The "miracle drug"s heyday in the 1800s saw it prescribed by the country's best physicians for exhaustion, depression, and morphine addiction. It was also available in many patent medicines. Come to think of it, from what we know of the coca leaf and cocaine, it would definitely work to alleviate exhaustion and depression. We should look into getting that back into drugstores. It can't be much worse than what is already sold at your local CVS.

Every manufacturer wanted to hop on the cocaine bandwagon during this time. Italian doctor Paolo Mantegazza went to Peru in 1859, witnessed the natives chewing coca leaves, and of course had to try it himself. You'd do the same thing. He wrote a paper on the coca leaf describing its effects which was later read by a French chemist by the name of Angelo Mariani.

in 1863 Mariani began selling Vin Mariani Wine which had been treated with coca leaves.

Back then, instead of buying an 8-ball and booze, you'd get them in one shot.

The bandwagon continued to grow into the 1880's as Frederick Allen created the now renowned soft drink Coca-Cola. It is said to have contained a "pinch" of coca leaf. No wonder people liked it so much.

Also in 1885 manufacturer Parke-Davis (once America's oldest and largest drug maker) sold cocaine cigarettes, power, and injections. The company claimed that their coke products would "supply the place of food, make the coward brave, the silent eloquent, and render the sufferer insensitive to pain." "Oh really? We've known this for over 3,000 years," said the Bolivian slave.

The father of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud was an early advocate for cocaine, believing that it was a safe and useful tonic that could cure depression and sexual impotence (boy was he right). So what Freud may have been a coke-head? Who wasn't back then? Thomas Edison also promoted cocaine use during his day.

The wonder drug's time in medicinal substances and carbonated drinks was relatively short lived as scientists and physicians finally discovered that this shit was kinda unhealthy. By the 1920s there were enough regulations to halt the use of cocaine in medicine, effectively protecting the public from partying too much. Damn government, always tryna stop us from having a good time.

Until next time. Peace and Coke... I mean, "Love."

Jersey Campbell's dia numero dos

I've found a theme song to go along with my 30 day challenge. Let the rhythm of this tune put you in the mood to read the foolishness I post everyday. I'll wait.

Today, boys and girls, we continue with our exploration of the coca leaf. The Incas believed that the plant was of a divine nature. The Inca's story on the origin of the coca leaf was probably thought of while they were under the drugs effects. Here is one of the stories that the Native South Americans told to the people-rapers from Europe:
"From what they had heard... before coca was a shrub, it was a beautiful woman. Discovered to be an adulteress, she was executed, cut in half, and buried as a seed that would be planted. From part of her severed body a shrub, which became known as 'ma-coca' and 'coca-mana' began to grow and blossom. Only men were permitted to pick it's leaves, placing them in their pouches. It was soon learned that the pouches could be opened to take coca only after copulation, which was to be preformed in the memory of the beautiful but dismembered adulteress." I think they meant "before copulation," to increase stamina and screw the brains out of the woman. Who knows.

But wait, there's even more legends and myths about where this crazy-super-fun plant came from. The Andean people of the Central Andes mountain range in South America believe that God told them to guard the coca leaf "with much love. And when you feel the sting of pain in your heart, hunger in your body and darkness in your mind... take them to your mouth and softly draw up its spirit which is part of mine. You will find love for your pain, food for your body, and light for your mind. Furthermore, watch the leaves dance with the wind and you will find answers to your queries." I don't know about you, but any plant that can alleviate hunger and pain while conjuring the spirit of God within you is legit.

This is way too much fun, let's find some more coca-leaf legends.

It looks like the Incas were very spiritual people, and the coca leaf was one of their methods of heightening their spiritual existence. Listen to these two myths from the Incas. The sun god instructed the moon mother to plant the coca in the moist valleys of the Andes. The leaf was only to be used by the Incas, because they were descendants of the gods of course. This was to give them endurance to perform their earthly functions. Sort of like an ancient PED.

Manco Capac: first party-starter of the Inca Empire

Our last coca leaf origin story for the day is about Manco Capac, the son of god, and his sister-wife (WTF?!?) Mama Cello, who are the founders of the Kingdom of Cusco, the settlement that later became the Inca Empire. Apparently, the two of them brought over the sacred plant along with the agriculture as a gift to reward the people's hard labor. The Incas considered the coca leaf to be a divine plant (any plant with that kind of power has to be divine right?) which satiates the hungry, strengthens the weak, and caused those who chew it to forget their misfortunes. It is also said that the plant turns ordinary, scrawny soldiers into Captain America

One thing common to these origin stories is the spirituality associated with the coca leaf. We tend to think of the early civilizations as barbaric and savage, but they probable knew a lot more than we give them credit for. They certainly knew how to get down with the coca leaf. Chewing coca leaf was originally reserved for the individuals who enjoyed a high status on the social ladder, but when the people-rapers crossed the Atlantic, they distributed it to everybody because, you know, it would assist in their rape conquests.

Well boys and girls, that ends today's daily lesson on cocaine, be sure to tune in next time when we discuss the spread of the coca-leaf to North America, the Caribbean, Europe, and Charlie Sheen's nostrils.

Jersey Campbell's dia numero uno

A funny thing happened when I was looking into the history of South America... I fell asleep. So I decided to switch it up. If you know me, you know that not only am I a borderline drug addict, I'm also as ambivalent as an anteater (don't worry, that wasn't supposed to make sense, but I couldn't pass up the alliteration). This led me to throwing away the old topic that could instantly alleviate an insomniac's problem and taking on a topic a bit more... edgy.

Cocaine is a hell of a drug. I may or may not have first-hand experience of that statement famously made by Rick James during Chappelle's Show (fuck yo couch niggas!). Since I was going to study South America, I simply decided to switch the subject area to one of South America's main exports. Cocaine. (Disclaimer: this post will contain as many cocaine-referencing youtube videos as possible. Be prepared.) Let's face it, cocaine is a huge part of American culture. It isn't as widely used as other drugs, such as marijuana, alcohol, and caffeine, but a lot of people seem to be enjoying it a lot of the time.

(Berries not included)

We begin our exploration of cocaine with an overview of the origins of the drug, the coca leaf. The coca leaf was originally grown in western South America and traces of the plant have been found in the tombs of mummies dating back 3,000 years. Of course your first thought is damn, "these guys know how to party!," but I doubt they were using it in that capacity. Then I did some research. Turns out, they kinda were using it in that capacity.

The Native South Americans chewed on the coca-leaf for the euphoric effects it had on their bodies. The high would last for a relatively long time and the stimulation is rather mild. For the ancient Native South American civilizations, the coca leaf was like how we view beer in this country, or wine in France, or even hashish in the Arabic nations of the Middle East. That was they thing, nah mean?

In particular, the Incas believed that the coca-leaf was sacred, and used in the plant in various cultural ceremonies. It has been said that when the Spanish people-rapers went over to South America they watched as the natives labored for days on nothing but the coca-leaf. Days!! If you know anything about colonialism you know what kind of grueling physical labor the indigenous people were subject to. To go DAYS without food but still be able to perform the heinous tasks the people-rapers asked of them is insane. Cocaine is a hell of a drug. What the coca does is reduce your appetite and increase physical stamina, among other things. Forget Viagra, it's time to start selling these people some coke! Wait what? It's illegal? Oh, damn.

Let's throw some coca-leaf fun facts out there. When the people-rapers sailed over in Atlantic in the 16th century, a civil war was starting to eat away at the Incan empire. As always with wars, the economy of the region will suffer, and theirs being an agricultural economy it was bound to break down. To alleviate the losses of edible resources, guess what was used instead... if you guessed the coca-leaf, come on down! Not only can we use the coca leaf for increased stamina, but it's a food substitute. This already sounds like the greatest plant in the world, with cannibus coming in a close second.

Scientific nutritional analysis shows that 100 grams of coca leaf contains 305 calories, 18.9 grams of protein, 46.2 grams of carbs, and satisfies the recommended dietary allowances for calcium, iron, phosphorus, and Vitamins A, B, C, and E. I'm just as surprised as you are.