Cocaine

How did cocaine shift from medicine to misuse?

4.7 (40)

40 mins

"Discover the impact of cocaine on society, medicine, and public perception. Learn about cocaine's initial medical uses, the rise of addiction, and the media-driven fears surrounding crack cocaine. "

Ep 1:

Sacred Leaf, Stolen Power

From divine Andean ritual to imperial control tool to lab-isolated alkaloid, trace coca's transformation into a substance that would soon captivate scientists and conquerors alike.

Ep 2:

Freud's White Powder Obsession

Sigmund Freud's secret cocaine habit fueled his romance, his research, and a surgical breakthrough—until addiction, tragedy, and medical backlash exposed the drug's terrifying dark side.

Ep 3:

Rock Bottom: America's Crack Panic

Discover how cocaine hijacks the brain's reward system, then follow crack's explosive rise through CIA-linked trafficking, urban devastation, and a media-fueled political panic.

Ep 4:

The Pearl and the Prayer

From a farmer's ultra-pure "pearl" to shamans' sacred leaf, explore cocaine's paradoxical extremes—artisanal perfection versus ancient tradition—as this chronicle reaches its reflective close.

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