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cause an acute paranoia that will make users withdrawn, suspicious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. |
Family-Drug-Intervention.Net 
