Elon Musk is pictured in a file image attending TIME Person of the Year on Dec. 13, 2021, in New York City, alongside bottles of Coca-Cola on sale at a supermarket in an image dated Jan.
10, 2022, in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images Elon Musk, fresh off of his successful $44 billion bid to buy Twitter, used the platform to joke about a potential new takeover: Cola-Cola."Next I’m buying Coca-Cola to put the cocaine back in," the Tesla and SpaceX CEO quipped on Twitter, referring to the drink’s original formula which contained cocaine in the form of an extract of the coca leaf — inspiring the "Coca" part of the beverage’s name.A Twitter user responded to Musk’s tweet by sharing a photo of an early Coca-Cola bottle and noting the cocaine ingredient. "Bring it back," the user added.Coca-Cola’s original recipe contained cocaine and its history has been well-documented, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
It was invented in 1885 by John Pemberton, a pharmacist from Atlanta who made the original recipe in his backyard. At the time, cocaine was legal and a common ingredient in medicines with many believing it was safe to use in small amounts, according to the institute."Pemberton described the drink as a ‘brain tonic and intellectual beverage,’ and advertised it as a ‘patent medicine.’ He claimed it cured headaches, upset stomach, and fatigue," the institute said.It added that during the 19th century, such patent medicines weren’t yet regulated and anyone could claim health benefits of their product without having to prove the effectiveness or reveal the risks."The amount of cocaine in Coca-Cola was reduced over time, and finally eliminated from the drink by 1929," according to the institute,.