DRUGS BEGAN IN STONE(D) AGE

Mind-altering drugs may be popular because they were once used by our
ancestors to survive, two anthropologists claim.

Roger Sullivan of the University of Auckland, New Zealand and Edward Hagen
of the University of California at Santa Barbara say evidence shows humans
have sought out such drugs for thousands of years.

They say plants rich in substances such as nicotine and cocaine produced a
stimulant effect that helped make life bearable in the harshest environments.

For example, Australian Aborigines used the nicotine-rich plant pituri to
help them endure desert travel with little food.

And Andeans still chew coca leaves to help them work at high altitudes.

Archaeological evidence shows that drug use was widespread in ancient
cultures. Betel nut, for example, was chewed at least 13,000 years ago in
Australia, while coca was used in Ecuador at least 5,000 years ago.

These early drug users sometimes "freebased" drugs by chewing them together
with an alkali such as lime or wood ash, which allowed them to be directly
absorbed into the bloodstream.