Responding to Articles from the Bibliography

The topic of my paper is cocaine use in sports. I found one of the articles that I will use for background to be very interesting because it focused mainly on cocaine and its origins. Cocaine comes from the coca plant that is native to the eastern slopes of the Andes. The leading producer is Colombia, which is currently producing 80 percent of the world’s cocaine. Cocaine increases the levels of dopamine, which is associated with pleasure and movement. The excess amount of dopamine is responsible for cocaines effects. Long term effects include loss sense of smell; nosebleeds; problems with swallowing; hoarseness; and a runny nose. The stimulating effects of the drug increase breathing which increases oxygen intake. This allowed the native workers to perform their duties in thin air at high altitudes, and in time science figured out how to maximize strength and the effect of the drug in the coca leaves. I found it interesting that Sigmund Freud, a famous psychologist, was an advocate for the drug in the beginning. He thought it could cure depression and sexual impotence. Also, John Pemberton used cocaine as the main ingredient in Coca Cola in 1886. Other famous people that promoted the drug were Thomas Edison and Sarah Bernhart. Because the drug was positively promoted it was accepted by the general public as well. People began noticing strange behavior in people that abused cocaine for long periods of time. Coming down from the drug causes depression for the person and they can become desperate for the drug and will do just about anything to get it. Once the dangers of cocaine became known prohibition set in and it was outlawed in 1920 by the passing of The Dangerous Drug Act of 1920. And here we are today with the drug still creating problems especially in sports.