Cocaine

Forms

Cocaine hydrochloride

A white, crystalline powder with a bitter, numbing taste

Freebase

A white powder that is more pure with less impurity than cocaine hydrochloride.

Crack

Crystals ranging in colour from white or cream to transparent with a pink or yellow hue, it may contain impurities

Administration

Cocaine hydrochloride is most commonly snorted. It can also be injected, rubbed into the gums, added to drinks or food.

Freebase and crack cocaine are usually smoked.

Indigenous people of South America have traditionally chewed the leaves of the coca bush, or brewed them as a tea, for use as a stimulant or appetite suppressant.

Classification

Cocaine is a stimulant drug, which means that it speeds up the messages travelling between the brain and the rest of the body.

Laws

Cocaine is a federally illegal drug in all 50 states and all countries.

How it Works

Cocaine enters your brain and intercepts dopamine transporters. This stops dopamine transport and causes a builduip of dopamine in the brain causing the "good" feeling.

Effects

Body

Enlarged pupils, dry mouth, bloody nose.

Mind

Increased happiness, sex drive, reduced appetite, indifference to pain, high blood pressure and heart rate.

Overdose Effects

Vomiting, Anxiety, Chest pain, tremors, kidney failure, stroke, seizures, heart problems.

Concerns

Short Term

Constant nose bleeds, Nose infection, Damage to sinuses, Anxiety.

Long Term

Insomnia, Depression, Anxiety, Sexual Dysfunction, Heart problems, Heart Disease, Death

How it's Used

Cocaine is federally illegal and is dealt on the streets to be used recreational.