Verifier: Yun Wuxin | Ph.D. in Food Engineering
Musk, the world's richest man, posted a short message on social media: "Next I'm going to buy Coca-Cola and add cocaine back."
The every move of the influential person attracted the world's attention, and this sentence quickly spread all over the world. Soon, though, Musk sent another message, "Listen, I can't do a miracle okay."
In short, "Buy Coca-Cola and get cocaine back" is just a joke.
But two interesting questions arise: Why did he say "add back" instead of "add in"? If he did buy Coca-Cola, could he really add cocaine back?
1) "Authentic Coca-Cola" does contain cocaine
Coca-Cola was born in 1885 by a pharmacist named John × Pemberton in his backyard. At that time, the formula contained coca leaf extract and cola fruit extract, "coca" came from "coca", and "cola" came from "cola", which also constituted the name of "Coca-Cola".
Coca fruit extract contains caffeine, and coca leaves contain cocaine – this may be a "cold knowledge": "coca-cola" does not mean "delicious", but "coca" or "cocaine".
At the time, cocaine was a legal and common pharmaceutical ingredient, and it was considered safe to use in small amounts. Pemberton declared Coca-Cola a "patented drug," a "brain supplement and intellectual drink," claiming that it could treat headaches, stomach upset, relieve fatigue, and more.
If it were now, these claims would clearly be illegal. However, the modern regulatory system for food and drugs in the 19th century has not yet sprouted, and anyone can claim that their products have various efficacies and do not need any evidence of "safety" and "effectiveness". Therefore, these marketing copywriters of Coca-Cola are not illegal.
By 1891, there were voices in the United States that were "against the inclusion of addictive ingredients in patented drugs," and manufacturers began to revise formulations and efficacy statements. Coca-Cola also constantly modified its formula to reduce the content of cocaine, and by 1929 Coca-Cola was no longer cocaine-free.
Coca-Cola's recipe list, the ingredients clearly contain "coca"
Although the "Coca-Cola ingredient" in the name "Coca-Cola" no longer exists, the name remains.
Therefore, Musk is talking about "adding back" cocaine rather than "adding it", which is somewhat of an Internet celebrity thinking of "restoring the traditional formula".
2, what exactly is cocaine
Cocaine is an alkaloid originally extracted from the leaves of the plant coca native to South America. It is a stimulant drug that has certain medical uses, such as in some surgeries for local anesthesia.
When the body consumes cocaine, it increases dopamine levels in the brain circuits. Dopamine is a "chemical messenger" in the human brain that is associated with controlling movement and rewards. Normally, the dopamine released by nerve cells transmits signals to other nerve cells and circulates back into the cells that release it, shutting down the signals between nerve cells. Cocaine, on the other hand, blocks the circulation of dopamine, causing large amounts of dopamine to accumulate in the space between the two nerve cells, confusing the signaling between nerve cells. This chaos can make people feel extremely happy, powerful, and responsive for a short period of time. However, in order to obtain this feeling, the amount of cocaine needed will become larger and larger, gradually leading to "abuse" and "overdose", that is, "drug addiction".
The intake of cocaine will reduce the appetite, resulting in malnutrition, gradual development of movement disorders in the body, and gradual development of Parkinson's disease after many years of drug use. In addition, after long-term drug use, it is easy to be irritable and angry, and there is serious paranoia and so on. When the dosage is getting bigger and bigger, it may eventually lead to "overdose" and death.
3. Can cocaine be "added" back to Coca-Cola?
Cocaine is one of the main drugs. In today's world where "drug control" has become a global consensus, how can Musk say that it is "added back to Coca-Cola"?
That's because countries like the U.S. and Canada have been calling for "drug legalization." Currently, many states in Canada and the United States no longer ban marijuana as a drug, and states such as Oregon and Washington allow citizens to hold "no more than prescribed amounts" of cocaine and heroin.
In other words, in Western countries, there are many people who want "drug freedom", and Musk's "add cocaine back to Coke" has a considerable market base. However, from a realistic point of view, after all, this is just a "casual talk" to brag, really to implement, but also to solve these problems:
First of all, it is indeed necessary to "buy" Coca-Cola to obtain the dominance of Coca-Cola, so that it is possible to promote such a major "strategic decision".
Second, to obtain regulatory clearance. Even in states that "allow small quantities of drug possession," only "possession" is allowed, not "can be added to food." In the United States, the premise of allowing additions to ordinary foods is a "GRAS (Recognized Safety)" filing, while cocaine as a "drug" is unlikely to pass the filing.
Third, Coca-Cola is a commercial company after all, and the ultimate goal of operation is to "make better money." Whether the "authentic Coca-Cola" with cocaine added can gain higher market acceptance is the ultimate criterion for whether this operation can be implemented.
Finally, for Chinese consumers, this is just an after-dinner conversation. Even if Musk gets the above three one by one, or gets the first two and "rich and willful" does not care about the third, it is only playing in a specific market. In a country like China, where almost everyone hates drugs, the second rule has no chance to pass — that is, even if Musk "works a miracle," it will not appear in the Chinese market. What Chinese consumers can buy is still "unpalatable" "cola".