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Cocaine Addiction Facts

Cocaine is a potent and dangerous Central Nervous System stimulant, processed from the South American Coca Plant. Cocaine works by blocking the reabsorption of dopamine in the brain (a chemical messenger that assists in normal functioning of the Central Nervous System and is associated with pleasure and movement). Cocaine in it's powdered form is sniffed or mixed with water and injected. More recently users are smoking a freebase form of the substance termed Crack (so named for the "crackling" sound produced when the mixture of cocaine and sodium bicarbonate is heated).


Powdered Cocaine

At one time cocaine had a somewhat exclusive population of users. Today, with the advent of crack, it is cheaper and more widely available. We have a dangerous and indiscriminate scourge plaguing America and it's effects are reaching all across the country, from the ivory towers of wall street to the dead-end alleys of downtown metropolitan areas to the circle drives of suburbia.

Whether cocaine is used by injecting, snorting or smoking the same risks are involved. Although, the onset of addiction to cocaine may be much more rapid in the smoked form. Users will experience dilated pupils, increased body temperature, constricted blood vessels, increased heart rate and blood pressure. The euphoria felt by users is due to hyperstimulation, reduced fatigue and mental clarity.Other effects of cocaine abuse include restlessness, irritability, and anxiety. In addition to user reported and scientifically backed effects of the drug, sudden death can occur in rare occurences on the first use.

The tolerance factor (how much it takes to get "high") of cocaine makes the likelihood of compulsive and addictive use very likely within the first few uses, especially when used in the form of crack.

Prolonged abuse of cocaine may cause an acute paranoia that will make users withdrawn, suspicious and highly unpredictable. Alongside these tragic repurcussions is the likelihood of death as a result of cardiac arrest or seizures followed by respiratory failure.

For more information on cocaine check: www.cocaineabuse.net

From Coca-Cola» To Crack

A History of Cocaine In The United States
Coca has been used for the elevation of mood, to stimulate tired workers, and to produce euphoria for thousands of years in Central and South America. In the mid-nineteenth century the US and Europe took note of it's seemingly beneficial properties and began to extract it's principal active ingredient and made cocaine available as a water-soluble powder. It was discovered by physicians that the drug had potential use as an antidepressant, an asthma remedy and as a local anesthetic.

At the same time, many companies emerged extolling the virtues of several new tonics that used cocaine hydrochloride, the active ingredient in the coca leaf, as an additive. These patented tonics could be bought without prescription for the relief of many common ailments, including, of course, chronic fatigue.

Toward the late nineteenth century cocaine began to be marketed as a recreational drug by such corporations as Coca-Cola,who claimed the seemingly mild intoxicant could be used as a "temperance beverage" as an alternative to booze.

At the dawn of the twentieth century however, anti-cocaine legislation grew considerably. People began to see the rise of violence among abusers of the drug in the lower socioeconomic stratum and a rise in the awareness of cocaine's harmful physical effects. The first Federal Legislation regarding cocaine was with the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act that required products precisely label the content therein. And in 1914, US Congress passed the Harrison Act that imposed taxes on products containing cocaine. Soon, Drug Enforcement Officials quickly transformed the law to prohibit all recreational use of cocaine.

As legislation and enforcement thereof stiffened so the general use of the drug decreased, and by 1930 synthetic stimulants like amphetamine became available and replaced much of the black market for cocaine. The drug began to be used almost strictly by artists and entertainers and as an occasional alternative for heroin addicts. However, in the 1960's we saw an increase in the use of all drugs, including cocaine and through the 1970's and 1980's cocaine use increased steadily among the younger populations. And as medically prescribed amphetamine became less available, and the prices of other drugs like marijuana increased cocaine enjoyed a steep rise in popularity.

By the early 80's the use of freebase cocaine became popular among those searching for the "highest" high. Freebase is a form of cocaine produced when the user takes cocaine hydrochloride and mixes it with a liquid base such as baking soda or ammonia to remove the hydrochloric acid and then dissolving the resultant alkaloidal cocaine in a solvent, such as ether and heating it to evaporate the liquid. The result is pure smokable cocaine.

Although this seemed to be a way of getting the most out of cocaine, users were uncomfortable with the volatile process of cooking down the solvent mixture. Around 1985 the drug dealers got wise to the idea of a more potent form of cocaine. The conversion process in freebasing was dangerous and time consuming and was not suitable for mass production. This was when Crack became the option. In the conversion process of Crack, the drug is similarly cooked down to a smokeable substance, but the risky process of removing the impurities and hydrochloric acid is taken out. So all that is required is baking soda, water and a heat source, often a home oven. As this process allowed a person to essentially get more bang out of their buck, by delivering the drug more efficiently, we saw cocaine become available to the lower socioeconomic stratum. This gave rise to the "Crack epidemic" and all classes from low to high became affected by the scourge of cocaine use spreading across the US.