COCA-COLA

Controversial Relationship of Coca-Cola and Cocaine



Controversial Relationship of Coca-Cola and Cocaine

Introduction

After pharmacist John S. Pemberton invented a stimulating new soft drink in 1886, his carbonated and caffeinated creation quickly rose to national and worldwide prominence. It became not only an integral part of everyday life in the United States, but also the American national drink and a defining element of twentieth-century American culture. The drink, the brand's logo, and the Coca-Cola bottle, created by Alexander Samuelson in 1915, turned into symbols of consumerism and the American way of life. It was admired by some by people, despised by others; Coca-Cola faces a large number of cultural critics who consider its enormous success to be the Coca-Colonization of the world. Both sides, however, agree that the success of Coca-Cola is evidence of the value and symbolic power of a worldwide and decades-long advertising campaign. The new concept of a brand was one of the most important product innovations in the history of the consumer society, and Coca-Cola paved the way for the new worldwide culture of brands (Watters, 1978).

The origin of the Coca Cola

The year was 1831 when John Pemberton was born in Knoxville, in the state of Georgia, USA. At age 17, he was studying at the School of Botanical Medicine in the same state. John Pemberton later sold several patented medicinal products among which were the "Great Invigorating Dr. Sanford" or "Eureka Oil". As an inventor, entrepreneur, chemical and pharmaceutical, Pemberton had direct access to the world of drugs such as cocaine imported from Peru, morphine and marijuana. Some biographies described him as an army colonel in the southern United States "avid addicted" to morphine. Pemberton officially registered a stimulating coca wine in 1880 that inspired the invention of Angelo Mariani. He then founded the Pemberton Chemical Company. At first his juice drinks contained alcohol and he described as "French Wine Coca, ideal tonic. By 1886 in the city of Atlanta, the alcohol was in full swing and it created an effect on several people. The country's industrialization along with rapid changes in the economy and lifestyles brought many social disorders. There were number of remedies which were invented to relieve the symptoms of American modernity. The doctor then produced a soft drink and even mentioned that it was a medicinal extract of coca which would be imported from Peru. He was 54 years old when he invented the famous syrup. Some biographers were accidentally mixed with carbonated water instead of pure water, and, then created this vibrant mix (Waldemer, 2008).

The drink was first sold in the city of Atlanta with great success and then was promoted as an effective tonic for the brain and nerves. In the same year Jacobs Pharmacy in Atlanta went on to sale the first glass of Coca Cola, drink made from coca leaf, kola nut, caffeine, some essences and various oils. In the first newspaper ad in the Atlanta Journal in1886, Coca Cola was announced as delicious, refreshing, stimulating and ...