Wow, that's genuinely shocking. Had someone told me that at a party I wouldn't have believed them.
It surprised me when I started working in a cardiovascular lab and seeing legit cocaine in the 'drugs of addiction' cabinet. Turns out it's an extremely good vascular constrictor and is still used in certain hospitals around the place.
Especially for sinus surgery. My mother had it used in hers! Odd, isnt it, but we use morphine for pain relief so I guess it's not that crazy.
I know that cocaine can be used as a numbing agent. Do you know whether the original Coca Cola was able to make your tongue go numb?