Cocaine examines the rise and fall of this notorious substance from its legitimate use by scientists and medics in the nineteenth century to the international prohibitionist regimes and drug gangs of today. Themes explored include:

* Amsterdam's complex cocaine culture

* the manufacture, sale and control of cocaine in the United States

* Japan and the Southeast Asian cocaine industry

* export of cocaine prohibitions to Peru

* sex, drugs and race in early modern London

Cocaine unveils new primary sources and covert social, cultural and political transformations to shed light on cocaine's hidden history.