General
Cocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant that directly affects the brain. Cocaine has been labeled the drug of the 1980s and '90s, because of its extensive popularity and use during this period. However, cocaine is not a new drug. In fact, it is one of the oldest known drugs. The pure chemical, cocaine hydrochloride, has been an abused substance for more than 100 years, and coca leaves, the source of cocaine, have been ingested for thousands of years.
Pure cocaine was first extracted from the leaf of the Erythroxylon coca bush, which grows primarily in Peru and Bolivia, in the mid-19th century. In the early 1900s, it became the main stimulant drug used in most of the tonics/elixirs that were developed to treat a wide variety of illnesses. Today, cocaine is a Schedule II drug, meaning that it has high potential for abuse, but can be administered by a doctor for legitimate medical uses, such as a local anesthetic for some eye, ear, and throat surgeries.
There are basically two chemical forms of cocaine: the hydrochloride salt and the "freebase." The hydrochloride salt, or powdered form of cocaine, dissolves in water and, when abused, can be taken intravenously (by vein) or intranasally (in the nose). Freebase refers to a compound that has not been neutralized by an acid to make the hydrochloride salt. The freebase form of cocaine is smokable.
Cocaine is generally
sold on the street as a fine, white, crystalline powder, known as "coke," "C," "snow," "flake," or "blow." Street
dealers generally dilute it with such inert substances as cornstarch, talcum
powder, and/or sugar, or with such active drugs as procaine (a chemically-related
local anesthetic) or with such other stimulants as amphetamines.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Department of Health
and Human Services. National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2002, February 18).
NIDA Research Report - Cocaine Abuse and Addiction (PHD813, NIH Publication
No. 99-4342)Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved October
03, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://www.drugabuse.gov/ResearchReports/Cocaine/cocaine2.html#what
Statistics
Beginning in 1965, the estimated incidence of cocaine use rose steadily to
its 1983 peak (1.5 million new users). Subsequently, the number of new
users per year declined steadily until 1992 (0.5 million new users) and
then began a steady increase to 0.9 million new users in 2000.
Age-specific incidence rates generally have mirrored the overall incidence
rate. The number of new users aged 18 to 25 reached a peak of 0.9 million
in 1983, while the most recent low point for this group was 0.3 million from
1991 to 1994. Incidence among 12 to 17 year olds has not varied as greatly
over the years, but peaked in 1980 at 0.3 million new users and reached a
recent low point in 1991 with 90,000 new users.
The 2000 estimates of the number of cocaine initiates and age-specific incidence
rates were slightly larger than their 1999 counterparts, but none of the
increases was statistically significant.
The average age of cocaine initiates rose from 17.2 years in 1967 to 23.8
years in 1991 and subsequently declined to approximately 20 years from 1997
to 2000.
The annual number of new cocaine users has generally increased over time.
In 1975, there were 30,000 new users. The number increased from 300,000 in
1986 to 361,000 in 2000.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration. (2002, September 4). Results from
the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse: Volume I. Summary of National
Findings (Office of Applied Studies, NHSDA Series H-17 ed.) (BKD461, SMA
02-3758)Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved September
26, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://www.samhsa.gov/oas/nhsda/2k1nhsda/vol1/chapter5.htm#5.coc
Short Term Effects:
Increased heart rate, blood pressure, metabolism; feelings of exhilaration, energy, increased mental alertness;increased temperature
Long Term Effects:
Rapid or irregular heart beat; reduced appetite, weight loss, heart failure;chest pain, respiratory failure, nausea, abdominal pain, strokes, seizures, headaches, malnutrition
Physical effects of cocaine use include constricted peripheral blood vessels, dilated pupils, and increased temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. The duration of cocaine's immediate euphoric effects, which include hyper-stimulation, reduced fatigue, and mental clarity, depends on the route of administration. The faster the absorption, the more intense the high. On the other hand, the faster the absorption, the shorter the duration of action. The high from snorting may last 15 to 30 minutes, while that from smoking may last 5 to 10 minutes. Increased use can reduce the period of stimulation.
Some users of cocaine report feelings of restlessness, irritability, and anxiety. An appreciable tolerance to the high may be developed, and many addicts report that they seek but fail to achieve as much pleasure as they did from their first exposure. Scientific evidence suggests that the powerful neuropsychologic reinforcing property of cocaine is responsible for an individual's continued use, despite harmful physical and social consequences. In rare instances, sudden death can occur on the first use of cocaine or unexpectedly thereafter. However, there is no way to determine who is prone to sudden death.
High doses of cocaine and/or prolonged use can trigger paranoia. Smoking crack cocaine can produce a particularly aggressive paranoid behavior in users. When addicted individuals stop using cocaine, they often become depressed. This also may lead to further cocaine use to alleviate depression. Prolonged cocaine snorting can result in ulceration of the mucous membrane of the nose and can damage the nasal septum enough to cause it to collapse. Cocaine-related deaths are often a result of cardiac arrest or seizures followed by respiratory arrest.
Added Danger: Cocaethylene
When people mix cocaine and alcohol consumption, they are compounding the
danger each drug poses and unknowingly forming a complex chemical experiment
within their bodies. NIDA-funded researchers have found that the human
liver combines cocaine and alcohol and manufactures a third substance,
cocaethylene, that intensifies cocaine's euphoric effects, while possibly
increasing the risk of sudden death.
