Cocaine: Global Histories

Cocaine: Global Histories examines the rise and fall of this notorious substance, once considered a miracle medicine. In the nineteenth century, it was openly legal and legitimately used by scientists, doctors and pharmaceutical giants alike. This contrasts starkly with the international prohibitionist regimes and underground circuits surrounding illicit cocaine production today. Drawing on exciting new global perspectives, Cocaine analyzes and rethinks the origins of the modern drug cocaine. For the first time, a book brings together the world's leading writers on the history of cocaine. Cocaine unveils new sources and covert social, cultural and political transformations that shed light on cocaine's hidden history.

By Paul Gootenberg. Routledge, New York, London, 1999. Edition: 1st. Pages: 213.