Back in the mid-1880s, scientists got all excited when they figured out how to isolate the active ingredient in coca leaves- COCAINE😶

Pharma was thrilled because this new stimulant was fast and cheap.

Then, this Austrian eye doctor named Carl Koller found out that a bit of cocaine solution could numb the eye during surgery.

And suddenly, everyone was using cocaine for eye and sinus surgeries.

But wait, there's more!🕵️

People started selling cocaine as a cure-all for toothaches, depression, you name it. You could buy it without a prescription, and it even ended up in things like Coca-Cola.🥤

By 1902, loads of folks in the U.S. were hooked, but things got so out of hand that in 1914, the government had to step in and ban it.🍃🤷‍♀️