Though widely successful in the Atlanta market, the rise of the temperance movement didn't bode well for a drink based on alcohol--yes, alcohol, not the cocaine or damiana it contained. Convinced as he was of the virtues of the coca leaf, and kola nut, Pemberton focused his efforts towards a "temperance" drink based on these ingredients and the essential oils they contained.
Approval of coca-based tonics declined as the end of the century approached. Regrettably, the same people who were prescribed cocaine to combat morphine dependence were becoming addicted to both drugs.
America's growing moral unrest over drug abuse at the turn of the century prompted manufacturers to remove the cocaine from Coca-Cola by 1904. It's Coca-Cola Company's policy is to deny the existence of cocaine in their orginal world-acclaimed formula. Indeed, the US Government later attempted to pressure the company to drop the name 'Coca-Cola' altogether. A protracted legal battle ensued and the name was saved; but as with the introduction of every new product change in the beverage, traditionalists maintained that the drink itself never again recaptured its original glory.
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