Pemberton's secret?

Last week, the World of Coca-Cola unveiled a statue of Atlanta druggist and Coke inventor John Pemberton. The statue will "welcome" visitors to the World of Coke’s new location across from Centennial Olympic Park. The museum opens May 24.

Sculptor Russ Faxon says the statue, which stands about 6 feet 4 inches tall, weighs around 800 pounds. As of now, there’s no plaque attached to bronze behemoth, but Faxon hopes they’ll "wind up doing something."

Part of Pemberton’s world-famous concoction was made from the coca leaf, the same plant that produces cocaine. When CL asked the company about the use of coca leaves in Coke, here’s the response we received from a spokesman:

Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation on the Internet, and, even in the media regarding the history of Coca-Cola. Rumors about cocaine in Coca-Cola when it was invented in 1886 still circulate today. Neither Coca-Cola nor any other product of The Coca-Cola Company has ever used cocaine as an added ingredient.

We never asked about cocaine. Just coca leaves.