Marijuana or marihuana was still legal until 1937 when the "Marihuana Tax Act of 1937" was passed.
In 1863 Mariani started marketing a wine called Vin Tonique Mariani which was made from Bordeaux wine treated with coca leaves.
The ethanol in the wine acted as a solvent and extracted the cocaine from the coca leaves, altering the drink’s effect. It originally contained 6 mg of cocaine per fluid ounce of wine, but Vin Mariani which was to be exported contained 7.2 mg per ounce in order to compete with the higher cocaine content of similar drinks in the United States. Ads for Vin Mariani claimed that it would restore health, strength, energy, and vitality.
Pope Leo XIII purportedly carried a hipflask of Vin Mariani with him, and awarded a Vatican gold medal to Angelo Mariani. Vin Mariani was very popular in its day, even among royalty such as Queen Victoria of Great Britain and Ireland. Pope Leo XIII and later Pope Saint Pius X were both Vin Mariani drinkers. Pope Leo awarded a Vatican gold medal to the wine, and also appeared on a poster endorsing it.
Thomas Edison also endorsed the wine, claiming it helped him stay awake for longer hours.
This tonic evidently inspired John S. Pemberton's 1885 cocawine drink recipe called Pemberton's French Wine Coca.
Later that year, when Atlanta and Fulton County passed prohibition legislation, Pemberton responded by developing a carbonated, non-alcoholic version of his French Wine Coca. The beverage was named Coca-Cola because the stimulants mixed in the beverage were coca leaves from South America and kola nuts, the beverage's source of caffeine
John Pemberton (1832-1888), the Atlanta-born creator of Coca Cola, was a keen pharmacist and coca-lover. He sought to combine the ultimate medicine and perfect drink in one glorious cocktail. Pemberton based his original drink on Vin Mariani. It was said to be "a most wonderful invigorator of the sexual organs". "Pemberton's French wine coca" proved singularly popular with American consumers. Coke was soon touted as "an intellectual beverage"; though not on the basis of controlled clinical trials.
Atlanta introduced Prohibition in 1886. So Pemberton had to replace the wine in his recipe with sugar syrup. Thus 'Pemberton's French wine cola' became 'Coca-Cola: the temperance drink'.
Small amounts of cocaine were added to Coca-Cola until around 1902, when it was quietly removed because of pressure from the American government. Around this time skepticism replaced the excitement for cocaine when documented reports of fatal cocaine poisoning, alarming mental disturbances, and cocaine addiction started to become evident.
Before the 1860's cocaine was only available in leaf form. The cocaine content of coca leaf is under 1%. After cocaine was isolated from coca leaf, it was available legally in concentrations that were nearly 100% pure.
The active ingredient from the coca leaf was first isolated by Albert Niemann. In 1860 he gave the compound the name cocaine.
Cocaine was first used recreationally in the 1860s. People were using cocaine as a recreational drug almost as soon as it was synthesized. A few years after its synthesis, cocaine appeared in cigarettes, ointments, nasal sprays, and preparations sold as tonics.
These legal tonics had coke mixed with other substances, including morphine, codeine, and opium. They were sold in a liquid form, and cured "whatever ailed you". The powder itself was used recreationally almost as soon as it was isolated.
The most popular of cocaine laced products was Mariani Wine (Vin Mariani). It was a wine and cocaine mixture that was launched in 1863. Nearly all popular personalities of the day used and endorsed it. These Vin Maria lovers included: Queen Victoria, The Pope, Thomas Edison, and others.
