Investigating the Origins of the McDonald's 'Cocaine Spoon' Saga

By 1979, McDonald’s found itself caught up in a controversy. The issue revolved around a small plastic spoon, one end of which bore the company's name and iconic arches. Millions of these spoons were distributed in restaurants across the country, with most patrons using them to stir their coffee as intended.

However, some had found a different use for the utensil: It was said to be perfect for snorting cocaine.

The dissonance between McDonald's wholesome family image and its association with illegal drug use began in the 1970s. Drug users and dealers who frequented the chain discovered that the coffee spoons, at 5 inches in length, were just the right size to discreetly carry a potent dose of cocaine. Even PCP users had the same idea, and the spoon became known in drug culture as the 'McSpoon.'

The practice might have stayed hidden if not for the media exposure. In October 1979, a newspaper article by Marcia Kramer revealed a private party at a New York City loft where attendees were welcomed with a large brass bowl of cocaine and 20 McDonald's spoons. They were invited to take a spoon, dip it into the pile, and get high.

Shortly thereafter, Congress held hearings to examine the sale of drug-related items. These hearings were held to curb the spread of products associated with the drug trade by introducing a law to ban their sale. The Paraphernalia Trade Association, a lobbying group, expressed concerns that the proposed law, known as the Model Drug Paraphernalia Act, could affect harmless items like marijuana pipes. In a hearing organized by senators Joseph Biden and Charles Mathias, a PTA representative held up a McDonald's spoon, claiming it could be classified as drug paraphernalia. The argument was that anything could be labeled 'illicit,' making regulation tricky.

"The proposed law, and others like it, target intent, which is thought, and as a citizen and publisher, that worries me," said Andrew Kowl, the former publisher of *High Times*, during one of the hearings. "Paraphernalia is already illegal when used with drugs... Passing laws similar to those of the Justice Department won't stop drug use."

Joyce Nalepka, the former president of the National Federation of Parents for Drug Free Youth, had a different viewpoint. She attended the hearing and argued that the spoon played a role in the drug issue. Having uncovered the spoon's controversial dual role, she voiced her concern that it was being used for both ingesting substances and trivializing the severity of the drug problem in the country. Nalepka decided to contact Edward Schmidt, the president of McDonald’s, to ask if he could take action to address the situation.

“What do you expect from me?” recalled Nalepka, remembering Schmidt's response.

“The drug paraphernalia industry is claiming your small spoon-shaped coffee stirrer is being used as a cocaine spoon,” Nalepka explained.

“What do you want me to do about it?”

“I’m set to testify before the U.S. Senate tomorrow. I need you to agree to redesign the spoon and let me go back to the hearing, stating that your company doesn't want any association with drug paraphernalia,” she insisted.

“Are you aware that we have 4500 stores?”

Nalepka replied, “I’m more concerned with how many children you have. Would you consider doing this for them, for my children, and for the children of America?”

Initially, Schmidt hesitated—changing all the spoons across their locations would be an enormous task—but Nalepka didn’t give up. Eventually, Schmidt declared, “McDonald’s will either redesign or phase out the item entirely.”

As Schmidt promised, the McSpoon was soon replaced with a flat coffee stirrer. However, McDonald’s still had a surplus of scoop-shaped utensils. The company redirected them to international locations, but that didn’t resolve the issue. Dealers began using them to measure heroin, and back in the U.S., they reappeared, where dealers sold bundles to customers for convenient use with cocaine.

In the end, the supply of spoons was exhausted. They briefly resurfaced in 2005 when artists Tobias Wong and Ju$t Another Rich Kid, also known as Ken Courtney, introduced Coke Spoon 02, a gold-plated version designed as a statement on how society can repurpose everyday objects for different purposes.

McDonald’s issued a cease-and-desist notice. The notorious reputation of their small spoon was something they were eager to leave behind.