In the 1960's
there was a resurgence of the use of
cocaine which caused Congress to
make it a Schedule II drug in 1970.
This classification recognizes it as
a drug that has medical uses, but is
highly addictive and may lead to
dependence. One company,
Stepan Co, has been approved
by the DEA to manufacture
cocaine.
After peaking in the mid 1980s
cocaine use began to decline.
Like the period after the Harrison
act this may have been in part due
to other cheaper more easily
available stimulants taking its
place. Cocaine, however, remains a
problem in the US. In 2004 the
National Survey on Drug Use and
Health, found that over 34
million Americans who were
twelve and
older had used cocaine at least
one time in their life. This is 14.2% of the
population over the age of
twelve.
Over five million people in the
US, or (2.4%) used cocaine sometime in the past
year.
