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Could Elon Musk Really ‘Put the Cocaine Back in Coca-Cola?’ Yes, Kind Of.
It wouldn't even be that difficult
After buying Twitter, Elon Musk joked about a new plan: to buy the Coca-Cola Company and ‘put the cocaine back in’ Coke.
But what if it wasn't a joke? Would it be possible? Was there ever really cocaine in Coke in the first place? In the 2020s under current drug laws, could it be done?
You may be surprised to hear that the answer, though obviously not a straight-up, universal yes, would actually not only be possible but fairly straightforward in some ways.
Let’s back up to the start: Was there ever really cocaine in Coca-Cola?
The origins of Coke
It sounds crazy today, but Coca-Cola originated for medicinal purposes.
At the time, cocaine wasn’t uncommon in medicine. Now, it’s a schedule 2 drug and not used anywhere legally aside from occasionally in medicine as a pain-killer. Medicinal Coke, and then its drink form, was originally made with a mix of coca and kola, hence the name Coca-Cola.
What is kola?
Kola is a bean that grows in Africa. It is considered medicinal, hence ending up in the Coca-Cola ‘medical’ mix.
