Back in the early 1900s, America was obsessed with regulating “dangerous substances.” This was the era when cocaine was still in Coca-Cola, opium was sold over the counter, and caffeine was being used liberally in everything from tonics to painkillers.
But then came a man named Harvey Wiley, the chief chemist at the US Department of Agriculture. He was on a crusade against anything he thought was harming the public preservatives, artificial coloring, and yes, caffeine.
His target? Coca-Cola.
He believed that the caffeine in Coke was harmful, especially to children. He even tried to sue the Coca-Cola Company in 1911 under the Pure Food and Drug Act, arguing that caffeine was a “habit-forming” and “deleterious” substance that had no place in food and drink.
The Great Coca-Cola Trial
The trial was dramatic. Wiley brought scientists and doctors to testify that caffeine caused insomnia, anxiety, and even death in animals. Coca-Cola countered with their own experts who argued that moderate caffeine use was safe.
In the middle of it all, Coca-Cola quietly removed cocaine from its formula (yes, it was still there until around 1929 in trace amounts) and lowered the caffeine content, but didn’t admit it was harmful.
In 1916, the judge ultimately ruled in favor of Coca-Cola, stating that the caffeine level wasn’t dangerous enough to be banned. So Wiley lost.
Caffeine Today
Still, the trial set the stage for how we think about caffeine today. It’s regulated. Its quantity in energy drinks, sodas, and supplements is watched closely. And it’s still technically a psychoactive drug… just a legal and widely consumed one.
Imagine a world where coffee was prescription-only.
Where Red Bull was banned.
Where med students had to take caffeine patches under supervision.
It almost happened.
