Coca-Cola removed cocaine from its original formula in 1903.
The earliest Coca-Cola recipes used coca-leaf extract, and the drink’s name referred to coca leaves and kola nuts. Coca leaves naturally contain cocaine, although the amount in the beverage was small and the extract was not intended to produce an intoxicating effect.
As public concern about patent medicines and drug ingredients increased, Coca-Cola changed its formulation. By 1903, the company had switched to coca leaves from which the cocaine had been removed. Decocainized coca-leaf extract remains associated with the flavoring process used for Coca-Cola.
The change is often confused with the drink’s broader history of formula adjustments. Removing cocaine did not end the use of coca leaves as a flavoring source, and it was separate from later changes involving sweeteners or caffeine.