Basic Facts About Cocaine
Overview
Cocaine is an intense, euphoria-producing stimulant drug with strong addictive potential.
Street names
Coca, Coke, Crack, Flake, Snow, Soda Cot.
Looks like
Cocaine is usually distributed as a white, crystalline powder.
Cocaine is often diluted (“cut”) with a variety of substances, the most common of which are sugars and local anesthetics. It is “cut” to stretch the amount of the product and increase profits for dealers. In contrast, cocaine base (crack) looks like small, irregularly shaped chunks (or “rocks”) of a whitish solid.
Methods of abuse
Powdered cocaine can be snorted or injected into the veins after dissolving in water. Cocaine base (crack) is smoked, either alone or on marijuana or tobacco. Cocaine is also abused in combination with an opiate, like heroin, a practice known as “speedballing.” Although injecting into veins or muscles, snorting, and smoking are the common ways of using cocaine, all mucous membranes readily absorb cocaine. Cocaine users typically binge on the drug until they are exhausted or run out of cocaine.
Drugs causing similar effects
Other stimulants, such as methamphetamine, cause effects similar to cocaine that vary mainly in degree.
???Overdose effects
Overdose effects include agitation, increased body temperature, hallucinations, convulsions and possible death.
Legal status in the United States
Cocaine is a Schedule II drug under the Controlled Substances Act, meaning it has a high potential for abuse and limited medical usage. Cocaine hydrochloride solution (4% and 10%) is used primarily as a topical local anesthetic for the upper respiratory tract. It also is used to reduce bleeding of the mucous membranes in the mouth, throat, and nasal cavities. However, better products have been developed for these purposes, and cocaine is rarely used medically in the United States.
Common places of origin
Cocaine is derived from coca leaves grown in Bolivia, Peru, and Colombia. The cocaine manufacturing process takes place in remote jungle labs where the raw product undergoes a series of chemical transformations. Colombia produces about 90% of the cocaine powder reaching the United States. According to the 2005 Colombia Threat Assessment, 90% of the cocaine shipped to the United States comes from the Central America-Mexico corridor.
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Quotes
"Because of cocaine, I am the girl who sells dreams in a gentlemen's club, where you never actually meet 'gentleman' just bunch of horny guys. I am that girl who I never wanted to become."
Scarlett
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